I-69 is spiraling our of control

i-69 or interstate 69 opponents, Count Us!

Indiana

I-69 is spiraling out of control

As (MMM) Mitch Daniels promoted his (MM) Major Moves (PPP) Public Private Partnership Tolling Lease of the Indiana Toll Road last year few remember that the bill as originally passed in the house along party lines would have given the office of the Governor the right to privatize and toll any road, bridge, airport or port to any entity for up to 100 years with a single upfront payment.

Senator Vi Simpson found agreement among the Majority Republicans when she stated, "I would not give Joe Kernan this authority." and MMoves was limited to selling the Indiana Toll Road for 75 years and allowing the privatization of the controversial I-69 as a Internationally leased and tradable property for up to 100 years, except for a section between Martinsville and Indianapolis.
That last condition is another story.

Only residents of Monroe County are likely aware that Mitch Daniels tolled (told) the Bloomington Herald Times editorial staff that I-69 would be a "Toll road or no road."

Now a year later Daniels has officially requested that (FHWA) Federal Highway Administration remove INDOT's request to consider approving New Terrain I-69 for Tolling.

Why?

Two reasons.

One:

The project was not sellable as it was proposed. The federally accepted section of the ongoing EIS study of the Bloomington/ Martinsville* section of I-69 in SW Indiana has on the first page of the 3000-page document:

> * Some Previous proposals were studied as toll roads. These proposals were not recommended because the road would not be financially feasible as a toll road. "Toll feasibility" requires that traffic levels not only pay ongoing operating and maintenance costs, but that they also provide revenues sufficient for construction debt service. Being "toll feasible" requires higher traffic volumes than those which justify construction of a non-toll facility."
>

We may never know what Daniels was tolled (told) by the potential international buyers of these leases in Spain and Australia and the marketer in New York. Perhaps SB-1 is our only hint.

Two:

Daniels actually confirmed this evaluation:

He duplicated these studies with a "re-evaluation of the I69 study for tolling", This was a post Major Moves effort to install his Tolling into the I-69 Environmental Impact Study (EIS) by amendment.

Unfortunately re-study found the same things, too little traffic and that to make I-69 a toll road would divert traffic and congestion to other roads of the region. The Daniels re-evaluation concluded that tolling proposed New Terrain I-69 would defeat two of the studies goal outright by increasing congestion and decreased regional traffic safety. Daniels re-evaluation also concluded that some sections of I-69 using existing SR37 would carry less rather than more cars than now, actually decreasing "mobility".

Daniels' INDOT tried to spin that the "re-evaluation of the I69 study for tolling" proved I-69 toll feasible.

Unfortunately for them Hoosier environmental and citizens groups challenged by federal suit the I-69 EIS including that Tolling was justified by the re-study. Daniels/ INDOT had no choice but to withdrawal Tolling from the I-69 project as they again had documented this knowable forecast.

Now, Senate Bill 1, it is claimed would move Daniel's authority to toll proposed new terrain I-69 to two Daniel's whipped up PPP leases for, unstudied New Terrain loop toll roads. These bombshell proposals introduced by Daniel's are a southeastern Indianapolis outer loop toll I-69 connecting existing I-69 to proposed I-69, and continuing to I-70, called "Commerce Corridor" (CC) and a North West Indiana Toll loop project he dubs, "Illiana".

These two projects, Daniels hypothesizes would not only be "profitable" enough for privateer road builders and international investors, but their 50, 75 or 100 year tolling would provide enough surplus funds to build I-69. Remember "Toll Road or No Road"?

Electronic Toll Roads cost double interstates to build. The reasons for investors to pay for I-69 to gain access to two for tolling must be questioned, but SB1 would put all future decision/ deal making in the hands of the governor. The blatant unfairness of this should be obvious. The legislature with finance oversight giving away such authority with no study or privatization facts is unconscionable. The fact that tolling of I-69 has officially been withdrawn from consideration at a federal level should render the trade/transfer of I-69 privatized tolling authority for other private toll roads a non-starter.

These toll roads are not what we have known. Privatized tolling is promoted by the Libertarian think tank, the Reason Foundation's Robert Poole Junior because:

1. Private operators will pay lower wages and few benefits than government tolling operators.

2. Private owners will not be constrained in tolling pricing by voter pressures, as are legislators

3. Tolls paid to corporations are not taxes.

Even the Libertarian Party of Indiana has rejected this application of privatization.

With the land grab, transfer of Hoosiers' property, taking it off the tax rolls for up to 100 years, for foreign investment and trading, Daniels has put himself in a small group of ultra government haters. He is one of the powerful who would use the power of eminent domain and the unpopular ruling of the Supreme Court that allows transfer of one American's property to a for profit corporation to toll persons in one part of the state to pay for an unneeded, unpopular project in another part of the state by 4 generations of privatized "Leasing". Even the Supreme Court ruling requires the private developer to pay more taxes than those who would lose their homes, businesses and farms, but by combining a history of eminent domain for transportation with new privatization of eminent domain acquired property, Daniels actually eliminates taxation on these acres for the duration of the contracts, by "leasing".

As we call this a lease, think about that. When have you heard of a four-generation "lease" that has a single fixed cost up front, with no consideration of future inflation for the property "owner", but that allows for privatized "taxation" of Hoosiers by tolling that can increase annually after the first 4 years by the higher of four formulas and allows for additional fees for the billing process?

This is the ultimate sweet heart deal. This is a "lease" for up to four generations that you would be happy to pay up front, because the contract is so favorable that you want it signed, sealed and delivered, so you can sell this contract on the international utility stock market.

Is Democracy dead in Indiana? Has our media ceased to function?:

At least 160,000 citizens have expressed opposition to the New Terrain I-69 plan in SW. Indiana. Never in the history of Indiana has this much opposition been expressed about any action or proposal by government. During the first 1/2 of 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, INDOT's only response has been to push on with one absurd proposal for funding after another. This one takes the cake. It is time for a Time Out!

Hoosiers across the state need to say stop the NE. Indiana Toll Loop, Stop the Indianapolis outer Toll Loop, Stop PPP, Stop the "Sell Indiana" and Stop I-69, and most of all Stop a Governor and out of control legislators who no longer listen to the commonsense of the working Hoosiers and their families who would pay ever increasingly for generations for a one time upfront payment.

*We refer here to the New Terrain I-69 as Bloomington/ Martinsville's I-69 because there is separate study for I-69 from 12 miles north of Evansville to Henderson Kentucky. Because not contested in Evansville, Hoosiers are unaware that section will require another $1 Billion not on the table currently. Those voters of Evansville are not going to be denied and is in fact the reason we are all suffering these issues.

There is no traffic need, no dominant safety issue, only a cultured inferiority complex for an Evansville region who believes they are owed anything we will give them. http://www.i69tour.org/stepchild.html

Far more information is available at: http://www.i69tour.org/majormoves.html and http://www.i69tour.org