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| Navigation from Section 5 & 6
Consultants' Proposed
Reduction in Lanes, Design and Frontage Roads COUNT US! calls for
Honesty as the Boondoggle I-69/Toll69 continues to be designed.
Our discussions of the "Elevated Urban Interstate" plan from the Tier 1 Record of Decision has been called "disinformation intended to mislead and frighten people" by the Bloomington Herald Times. Section 5 (Bloomington) consultant Wendy Vachet has only referred to the approved drawing and tables describing the Typical Section I, Elevated Urban Interstate as "an appendix with all sorts of stuff in it."... "a description for a potential 12-traffic-lane elevated highway" At the public information meeting for section 6 (Martinsville), October 11, 2005, it was learned that none of the HNTB consultants had never even seen the" typical section I" raise urban freeway approved by the Tier 1 record of decision for the area that they are studying. (FHWA response) HNTB claimed publicly to not be involved in "design" yet, but no option presented to the public included the eight lanes, the "raised section" or either of the two frontage roads approved by federal highway in the Record of Decision of INDOT's Tier 1 FEIS Environmental Impact Study. We believe major design elements have been made on day-one of Tier 2! We claim "bait and switch"? as "purpose and need" has become "cheapen and save". The Cross Sections for I-69, 3C survived the Tier 1 DEIS* and public comments, the FEIS* and public comments and were adopted as "approved" to go forward to Tier 2 EIS by the Tier 1* Record of Decision (ROD). The public is being offered a cheaper road, with less capacity with out even being informed of the "approved typical cross sections as even possible designs." The "conceptual" cross sections are offered to the public as our only choices with no mention of the approved cross sections or reasons for not presenting those cross sections. We offer this view of I-64 in Louisville to demonstrate why we do not find a raised interstate more frightening than the New flat I-69 proposal presented by Section 5 and 6 Consultants:  If I-69 were to be built in Bloomington and Martinsville many would prefer this construction. The communities would be less negatively impacted and could develop more naturally. See how pedestrian activity could flourish. The Tier 1 Record of Decision for I-69, 3C calls for a raised urban interstate with "earth retaining walls". If I-69 is to be planned at all, the pillar type construction as above should be requested by the Bloomington and Martinsville Communities. This proposal is a less radical change to the Tier 1 Record of Decision approved cross-section than the one the Consultants of section 5, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. and section 6 consultants, HNTB are working on currently. The Michael Baker Jr. Inc. and HNTB plans are cheaper, but not better. We do not advocate for I-69 period, but if the planning is going to move forward, then plan intelligently. Related links: Record of Decision, What would I-69 look like through Bloomington and Martinsville Discussion of the H-T charge of "disinformation" Section 5 Consultants' Proposed Reduction in Lanes Frontage Roads are important for Bloomington Business Revive 65 provides a personal warning *DEIS: Draft Environmental Impact Study, FEIS: Final Environmental Impact Study, Tier 1/ Tier 2 - A two part single Environmental Impact Study allowed as a courtesy to State Departments of Transportation (DOT). |
© COUNT US! 2002 -'03,'04 |
