"I-69: It's
Not Over" Rally
An anouncement from the adhoc rally group
Join us on October 22, 2004, when hundreds of voting citizens from all walks of life across Indiana will gather at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. We will request of Governor Kernan that our voices be heard regarding our opposition to a new-terrain I-69 and that he withdraw his support for this costly and destructive project.
Bring your families, organizations and friends. Bring signs expressing your opposition to this boondoggle. This rally is a stand for democracy, the environment, sensible economics and our communities.
The designated route would result in needless destruction of a fragile environment, loss of farm land and forests, loss of peopleÕs homes and businesses, and degradation of our rural communities. At least 160,000 citizens have expressed opposition to this plan. Never in the history of Indiana has this much opposition been expressed about any action or proposal by government.
During the public comment period alone, 15 citizens expressed opposition for every one person who commented favorably. In all, there were 20,467 comments opposing the new terrain route. Yet, state government's only response was to say that "it's a done deal."
In a very loud and clear
voice, we will be saying to
Governor Kernan and his Department of Transportation, "It's not over! It's not a done deal!"
Citizens and groups who
oppose this new terrain route will take our messages of opposition to
the
Indiana Legislature, county courthouses, city halls, and community
forums throughout
the state.
|
There are no economic benefits from this highway. State government and the special-interest supporters of a new-terrain highway have been deceptive about supposed benefits. A recent independent analysis calculated a cost/benefit ratio of only a sixty six cent return for each one of our tax dollars spent. The highway consultants who completed the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the state admitted in the EIS that "when (population change) is taken into account, we find that the real disposable income per capita for the build alternatives does not differ significantly from the 2025 forecast for the no-build alternative."
Senate Finance Committee Chair Larry Borst has calculated that every driver in the state will be forced to pay additional gasoline taxes to foot the $2.5 billion bill for the new-terrain interstate. This drain of highway money for more than a decade will mean that less money will be available for new roads and maintenance of existing roads and highways throughout every county in Indiana. Maintaining and improving the roads we have will provide more jobs than the construction of a new-terrain interstate highway. |
Our permit is for the
East side of
the statehouse at 11:00 am, October 22. Pay parking can be found at
parking garages at Circle Center Mall, the Government Center, Imax
Theatre/Eiteljorg
Museum or any number of small lots. Very little street parking is
available and
usually has very short time restrictions.
Buses will be availble out of Bloomington. Call CARR 825-9555 to
make
a reservation. The cost will be in the range of $5 to $8 round
trip
and the buses will leave from the Monroe County Courthouse area.
Free
parking is available 1-1/2 blocks from the pickup/ drop off
point.
Contacts: Steve Bonney (765) 463-9366, Tom or Sandra Tokarski at Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads (CARR) (800) 515-6936, Tim Maloney at HEC (317) 685-8800, or Jeff Stant (317) 359-1306
.
IT IS TIME TO
BE HEARD! SEE YOU OCTOBER 22ND!
