Days Like Yesterday Are Why We Don't Need I-69

(photo credit: skyhi-usedcar.blogspot.com)

Yesterday morning, I woke up extremely excited due to the fact that I had tickets to the Indianapolis 500, the greatest racing spectacle in the world. I've been to Indianapolis Motor Speedway several times but this was the first time I would be going to the race itself.

As most of you know, Evansville is stuck in regressive mode so we haven't been able to get any form of passenger rail transportation here whether it be light rail, high speed rail, or even AMTRAK. Therefore, I was forced to take my automobile to Indy. So I did figuring it would be no big deal.

I began the trip early at 5 am and was at least fortunate to reach my roommates hotel where he would be riding with me to the race. For those who haven't been to Indianapolis recently, take a ride to the Indianapolis Bypass (I-465) where it meets I-70 and you will see what kind of mess I-69 is going to be. You will see trees plowed over, concrete roads going all over the place, orange barrels galore, and dried up waterways that use to flow.

Anyways, as we were finally leaving the hotel, I drove just two roads away from the hotel before my car decides it's going to take the day off. Right in the middle of the road, I was forced to push my vehicle across three lanes of traffic (of course all the drivers were so friendly about it!). The only good thing about it was that it decided to die before I got in the middle of race traffic in Speedway. That could have gotten very ugly.

This car trouble has been no fluke or one-time occurrence. This has been the third time I have had a car quit on me while I was out of time. The two other times were....

2008

Back in 2008, I decided to take a road trip with a couple of my old roommates to New York City to say good-bye to Shea and Yankee Stadiums. My uncle has an apartment in downtown Manhattan so I decided to make the 15 hour trek all the way into the center of NYC. By the time I made it to the enormous steep grades in the West Virginia mountains, my car had already been giving small signs that it wasn't going to stay running for the whole trip. The transmission was going sooner or later. Naturally, I made it all the way to the middle of Manhattan when the transmission decided to finally bite the dust.

I found a mechanic over in New Jersey who gave me the wonderful news that my car wasn't going anywhere for good. During the whole week I was up there waiting for my car to be diagnosed, I didn't miss it at all. I went to Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Brooklyn (future Barclays Center site), Harlem, and Ground Zero on the New York City subways. There wasn't one spot in the whole region I couldn't get to.

Once it was time to leave, I had to make the decision to send my old car (a Mercury Mystique) to the Jersey junkyard and buy another one (a Ford Contour). While I got lucky that I found a car that is basically the same style as my old one, it still cost me several thousand dollars that I had to borrow instantly. And it certainly wasn't easy explaining to the New Jersey or Kentucky (where I lived at the time) BMV's that I needed to switch plates. Both were just concerned with hitting me with as many taxes as possible.

2009

I used to take one road trip with my old roommates from college and in 2009 we decided that we were going to take AMTRAK to Chicago where we would watch both a White Sox and a Cubs game on the same day. Since Evansville doesn't have AMTRAK, we had to drive all the way over to St. Louis to get on the train which we did.

On the way to St. Louis, I decided to stop in Illinois for gas. That was a huge mistake because when I shut the engine off, the starter went out. My buddy and I sat there for hours trying to get the car to work. Finally, after about two hours of just standing around wondering what we were going to do, the starter clicked over. We were then running behind schedule to catch the AMTRAK but we went flying into St.Louis to catch it (Thankfully some of those turns on I-64 have banking).

Naturally, right as we were pulling up the AMTRAK train was pulling out with the next train arriving 12 hours later. The only chance we had was to beat the train to its next stop in Alton, IL. We decided to try it (don't ask me why), and right as we're arriving the train is pulling out again.

However, AMTRAK has such great customer service. Already down the line a little bit, the conductor sitting in the back rail car sees us pulling up and stops the train. We were able to board the train outside of the station. I can't get over how incredibly nice that was of AMTRAK. That's how close I came to being stuck in the middle of nowhere due to the automobile.

Just like in NYC, we were easily able to get around Chicago without the car. In fact, Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field are on the same subway line. When we got back, we were very fortunate that the starter in the car started up one last time to get us back home to Evansville where I was able to round up a mechanic.

So, while building I-69 may look great to some on paper, the truth is, I-69 will just cause more headaches. If you're filthy rich, you may be saying, "No big deal, I got plenty of money to call a tow truck and take it to a mechanic." What you don't realize is that it's not that easy. Yesterday I was stuck in Indy on a holiday weekend. No mechanics and probably limited tow truck drivers, not to mention the fact that I didn't have a hotel up there as it was just a drive up/drive back trip.

When everything was said and done, I ended up spending over $200 borrowing my aunt's truck, gassing it up, putting a U-Haul tow-bar on it, and dragging it back home to the shop. I am now down to peanuts in my wallet. How many other people who drive to the Indy 500 will be in the same position as I was if they had car trouble?

Insurance companies, BMVs, gas prices, and car trouble are just a few of the many reasons why we do not need to be building anymore interstates. The whole ironic thing about it was the fact that while I was stranded on the side of the road, the C&P decides to produce another terrible pro-I-69 article...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/may/29/interstate-69-the-issue-star-supports-roadblock/

Folks in Southwestern Indiana have long understood that any number of influential voices in Indianapolis don't give a whit what happens in this corner of the state. That attitude was best demonstrated in 2000 when the Indianapolis Star, the state's largest newspaper, called the then-proposed Interstate 69 highway between Evansville and Indianapolis the "highway to nowhere."

First it was Bloomington's fault now it's Indianapolis' fault that I-69 supporters aren't having their greedy way? Even Tom Brokaw put I-69 in his Fleecing of America segment on the NBC News. When you build a highway that trims less than 13 minutes off your total trip, that is indeed a highway to nowhere.

No surprise there. The attitude thing with Indianapolis has never been a secret, plus The Star has opposed the proposed highway for years, stating on occasion that the existing U.S. 41/Interstate-70 route would be preferable to them to a direct, new terrain route through Bloomington.

Isn't it funny how this interstate is suppose to be the best thing since sliced bread, yet Indianapolis and Bloomington are both against it? At least the rest of Indiana is looking at this project with some common sense.

We would expect no less nonsense from the jokers in Bloomington, but not from The Star newspaper. And yet, this past week, an editorial in the newspaper suggested the Bloomington delaying tactics offer the Daniels administration an opportunity to save $400 million, the cost of the highway between Crane and Bloomington.

Wait a minute. If Indianapolis has always been out to get Evansville, then why would we expect anything different? The truth is, no matter if you're in a college town or a major urban city, wasting money on a road from the 1950s doesn't make sense, especially when it will end up costing well over $5 billion.

And what is it with the C&P calling groups jokers and clowns? No wonder other cities don't care about Evansville. I still don't understand why we should be calling Bloomington clowns and jokers when we have stoplights on the Lloyd, destroyed our light rail system, and have let our downtown turn to ruins.

They point out that the new terrain route is opposed by city councils in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Martinsville and by thousands of petitioners concerned about property loss, environmental damage and sheer expense.

Do you suppose those same concerns were raised when Interstates 65, 70, 69 north, 74, and 465 were being planned through and around Indianapolis?

I'm starting to wonder if the C&P just copies and pastes the quotes in the comments section from those whose post under masked screen names. There are several problems with this comment....

1. Most of those interstates were built back when technology wasn't as great. This is like saying, "No one protested the Oregon Trail or Route 66 so why don't we build them now?"

2. A lot of interstates have been protested here in Indiana. Back in 2006, Mitch Daniels proposed an Indiana Commerce Corridor which would have been another loop around Indianapolis. Strong opposition from local residents and the then Democrat-controlled House of Representatives forced Governor Daniels to abandon the ICC plan on March 24, 2007. I-69 itself has been protested as well with the southern point originally being near the I-65/I-70 junction (it would have been I-165). As a result, I-69 ends 11 miles further north.

3. There's no question that we have a few duplicate interstates elsewhere so why didn't the C&P protest those? We can talk all we want about how one city is getting an interstate over another but the truth is, other cities wanted it more back in the 1950s just like they are wanting high speed rail more now. The C&P is setting us back 50 more years fighting for I-69.

4. There are already two roads you can use for I-69. They are US 41 and I-70. NOBODY would fight upgrading 41.

The editorial points out that direct route opponents still believe there is time to switch to U.S.41/I-70, that that route presents none of the concerns about direct I-69 going into Indianapolis, it believes that the economic case for the new terrain roadway over U.S. 41/I-70 never has been made, and that freeway construction has lost its favor over "the decades the I-69 extension has been hashed over."

If favor for freeways really had been lost, then why did they need to modernize I-465 in Indianapolis these past few years to the tune of $800 million, twice what the Crane to Bloomington leg would cost?

As I said earlier, I'm not happy about the I-465 renovation either, and I wish it would have been scrapped too, but lets be honest, the I-465 renovation is still better than building completely new terrain for I-69 and the Indiana Commerce Corridor which would have duplicated routes and destroyed much more of the environment. The Indy Star is right on the money: THE INTERSTATE ERA IS OVER!

With Major Moves, Daniels has given this state the opportunity for millions in infrastructure construction and modernization, at a time when many other states are paralyzed to do anything.

This is where the C&P and me are 180 degrees different. What good does it do to sell an interstate in northern Indiana for less that what it would have brought in in tolls, and then build more interstates that will make Indiana dependent on the automobile. You see, if we were to use our gas tax revenue smartly, building high speed rail would be very quick and easy. When you pay a gas tax or a toll, it should go towards improving your commute, not building more roads to keep you stuck with the auto system of the 20th century.

And he need not explain to the people of Southern Indiana the extraordinary steps he has taken to see that they are finally getting a modern highway to their state capital.

Modern highway? That's like clean coal or a healthy cigarette. It just doesn't exist. My story from yesterday is a perfect example of that!

One final point: Do they actually support the idea of building I-69 only as far as Crane, there to dead end, and then, we presume, to shift the project over to U.S. 41-I-70?

How utterly ridiculous that would be.

Sounds good to me. That would only save a few billion dollars, can't be having that. Didn't the C&P say that they wanted a safe commute for students going to IU? Well, now they will have that with State Road 37 going to Indianapolis as well. How is that any worse than the death trap that will be left for those going to Vincenness and Terre Haute? It's bad enough these first three segments have destroyed a lot of our environment, but let's not let it get any farther than that.

Overall, I am so sick and tired of seeing dollar after dollar going to interstates that aren't dependable when we can be investing in dependable high speed rail for the future. Yesterday's debacle would have NEVER happened if we had high speed rail or AMTRAK here. But if we build I-69, we can expect to see more residents broke down on the side of the road with no hope in sight. We can also expect to see crosses, wrecks, animals that have been run over, flooded farmland, loud semis, and a state still addicted to oil.

We simply cannot trust the automobile. We need RAILS NOT ROADS!

(photo credit: scientificamerican.com)
(photo credit: microcosmpublishing.com)

More Hot Air From I-69 Supporters

(photo credit: inquisitr.com)

I woke up today with the full intention of making a post about the many negative affects that urban sprawl is having on Evansville. However, that post will have to wait another day as I feel that we need to take a deep, deep look at the new editorial produced by the Courier & Press.

Whoever the masked man is behind the C&P editorials is desperate beyond desperate to spread as much I-69 propaganda as humanely possible despite the obvious facts that this road is nothing more than a boondoggle.

Today, they produced another pro-I-69 editorial that just makes you want to shake your head. Let's take a look...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/may/22/another-roadblock-the-issue-bloomington-tries-to/

First of all, the fact that this editorial is even being written is due to the great leadership shown by the city of Bloomington in making the correct decision of leaving I-69 out of their budget. My hat's off to the city of Bloomington, the Hoosier Environmental Council, and Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads. There are some battles you shouldn't fight even if you win, but there are some battles you should fight even if you lose. That battle is I-69 and it takes quite a bit of courage for these groups to step up to all the pressure from INDOT, Evansville, Indianapolis, and interstate supporters all across the land. This type of leadership is what you have to have if you are ever going to get your city moving forward. I'm thrilled beyond thrilled that Bloomington rejected I-69.

Let's take a look at some of the editorial's comments...

"OK guys, if you are going to try and prevent the state from running Interstate 69 through the Bloomington area, then you are going to have to give back the state's university — you can't have one and not the other.

We're kidding, of course, but this seems an appropriate response to the latest antics by the clowns who do transportation planning in Bloomington."

I take them at their word that they are kidding about proposing the relocation of IU from Bloomington, but the fact that that even crossed their mind shows you just how off base I-69 supporters are. This is an idea you would find in the comments section under an unknown screen name.

If an interstate is so crucial to the viability of a college/university, than how is Indiana University continuing to grow by leaps and bounds? And if I-69 bypasses Bloomington, how would that be any different than I-69 bypassing downtown Evansville and western Evansville where our fastest growing university (USI) is located?

I really don't think it's wise to call another town's planners clowns when our very own city has stoplights all over the Lloyd Expressway and U.S 41 (which would have been fixed with an upgraded U.S 41). And let's not forget that our very own town had a nice light rail system on Franklin Street, a grand L&N Station, and a vibrant Main Street. While other cities have turned their buildings and light rail systems into crown jewels of their regions, our local "clowns" destroyed every thing we had with little regard for our city. We have a major pal over Evansville and until we lift this pal, it isn't wise to label any other town's planners clowns.

"According to the Associated Press, Bloomington City Council member Andy Ruff, also a member of the planning group, said Monroe County residents have unresolved questions on the road's funding, the location of interchanges and the environment. (Don't forget, Indiana conducted one of the most comprehensive environmental studies ever done anywhere before launching this vital project"

Well let's see, I-69 planners have raised the estimated cost of the interstate from a billion and change to now $3.31 billion (doesn't include Ohio River bridge(s), maintenance, or costs to replace inferior materials), they have finally admitted that they will have to purchase almost 6,000 acres of farmland that will flood, it will destroy a total of 3,741 acres of farmland, and 1,815 acres of forest will be lost. Over 7,000 acres will be paved over by construction ( http://www.hecweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/I69_white_paper.pdf ). Wouldn't you say that is quite an environmental impact for a road that is expected to only save you 15 minutes or less of drive time?

It gets even worse. Due to the fact that INDOT does not have enough funding to complete the entire I-69, they have had to start making drastic cuts. INDOT has announced that it will pursue various cost-cutting measures – delayed/cancelled overpasses and rest stops, narrowed shoulders and medians, steeper grades, and thinner surface materials. Any city that is wise, should be concerned about I-69's lack of funding, cheap construction designs, and environmental impact.

"There's more: Ruff said, according to The Herald Times, "There comes a time when you stand up to a bully. it is time to stand up for ourselves."

Readers of the Courier & Press should take note: When Ruff talks about "the bully," he is talking about the people of Southwestern Indiana who want and need this highway."

No, Mr. Ruff is talking about those who truly are bullies, and that is those who support I-69. I-69 supporters are desperate to build their boondoggle and will throw anyone under the bus (no pun intended). So far they have...

- Taken $700 million from Major Moves which was acquired through the selling of a toll road in Northern Indiana. In other words, Northern Indiana pays the toll while Southern Indiana reaps the benefits.

- Ignored almost all of the environmental impacts of the interstate.

- Refused to upgrade the death trap that is US 41 from Evansville to Terre Haute, leaving those who commute to Vincennes University and Indiana State University exposed to a highly dangerous road.

- Refused to consider high speed rail for Southwestern Indiana.

- Cheapened the design of the interstate so that future taxpayers will be stuck with a hefty bill to properly upgrade the interstate in the future

That is the bullies Mr. Ruff is referring to. What really is frustrating about the whole process is that everyone could have won out of this project if the I-69 supporters would not have been greedy. Washington, Indiana, Petersburg, Indiana, and most other areas that are on the proposed New Terrain I-69 are within 20-30 miles of US 41....

http://www.carri69.org/facts/maps.html

Depending on where you live here in Evansville, it will take you a good 15-20 miles minimum to reach I-64. We could have upgraded U.S 41 all the way to Terre Haute and then built a side spur from Vincennes or Sullivan to Bloomington. That would have eliminated almost all of the new terrain in the first 3 segments which run parallel to U.S 41 only 20-30 miles away.

"He is talking about Indiana University students and their parents who must worry each time they make the trip to Bloomington on narrow, curvy roads they share with coal trucks and slow-moving farm equipment.

He is talking about the folks in Petersburg and Washington who may need to see a medical specialist in Indianapolis and are concerned about getting there safely.

He is talking about high school band members from Newburgh or Evansville who travel by bus for competition in Indianapolis and hope to make it there without accident."

Again, what about those traveling to Vincennes? What about those traveling to Terre Haute? If the C&P is genuinely concerned about safety, why are they proposing to build an interstate which will make us dependent on the automobile? The automobile kills over 30,000 people a year. Building an interstate from the 1950s isn't the solution to safety, High Speed Rail is!

High Speed Rail is the answer to all of our problems we face with the automobile. It's quicker, cleaner, greener, safer, cheaper, nicer, and produces many,many more jobs while raising property values around it. High speed rail is the transportation solution of the 21st century. Not only will it get you there safely, it will also get you there fast at over 220 mph. If we build high speed rail, we will have people living in Bloomington while working in Evansville. With I-69, very few will be able to do that.

We also have a fair amount of tracks already laid that can be paired with High Speed Rail Right-Of-Way...

http://www.in.gov/indot/files/MAIN-RR-08.PDF

"Remember this: INDOT is building Interstate 69 at the request of people who for more than 50 years pleaded for a modern highway to Bloomington and Indianapolis."

This right here tells us exactly why we shouldn't build I-69. This project is well over 50 years old. We don't lay down horse and buggy trails anymore and we shouldn't build 1950s infrastructure, it's time to move on. We need to pay tribute to our 1950's and later history and heritage by saving great buildings and artifacts from those time periods that are already built such as Roberts Stadium, the Old Greyhound Bus Station, and the Old Courthouse and Jail. We need to preserve history not live in history!

"In the meantime, the first three sections of the highway between Evansville and Crane are under construction. The fourth section is the one threatened by Bloomington."

Like I said earlier, this is not something to be proud of. We just spent several million dollars and ended up with an interstate that is within, at the very farthest, 20-30 miles of U.S 41. We have destroyed a good chunk of the environment in Southern Indiana, we have uprooted many farms and families, and we still have yet to see any significant economic impact. By far and away, this has been a boondoggle of epic proportions. If we don't stop it now, it will go from a multi-million dollar boondoggle to a multi-billion dollar boondoggle.

"INDOT officials say they will take their time and consider their options. That's wise, as long as INDOT continues the rapid construction pace set by Gov. Mitch Daniels. In other words, don't stop now."

For those who believe we should keep going with I-69, consider this...

1. Why is a "direct route" to Indianapolis seen as necessary, yet Kentucky is upgrading their Western Kentucky Parkway and Pennyrile which isn't a direct route?

2. How will an I-69 bypass (I-164) provide a better economic impact than U.S 41 which goes right through the middle of Evansville?

3. Why is it okay to take $700 million from a Northern Indiana toll road, yet it is not okay to toll I-69 to give the money back and make the road self-sustaining?

4. If an interstate is such a great driver for economic development, than why aren't Terre Haute, Anderson, and Marion huge metro areas?

5. Why is safety an issue for Bloomington, Washington, and Evansville residents but the safety of those residents in Princeton, Vincennes, Sullivan, and Terre Haute is being ignored by the failure to upgrade U.S 41?

6. Why do we need a completely new terrain for the first 3 segments of I-69 when they run parallel to U.S 41 within 20-30 miles?

7. Which would you rather Evansville be: A crossroads of America rail station or a truck stop full of minimum wage jobs?

8. Why are we building an interstate when gas prices continue to rise, are expected to continue to rise, and driving amongst teenagers is becoming less popular?

9. How many people will be able to commute daily to Evansville from Indianapolis and Bloomington on an interstate where the speed limit is 70 mph versus High Speed Rail where speeds reach 220 mph and greater?

10. While I-69 is safER than state road 57, why is an automobile dependent interstate being pitched as a safety necessity when the auto kills over 30,000 Americans each year?

11. What are the true costs when I-69 is completely totaled up (Evv-Indy, Ohio River Bridge, maintenance costs, interchanges that will need to be added eventually)?

12. Why are we sacrificing thousands of acres of farmland, several hundred homes, and the habitats of all of our wildlife just to save a handful of minutes drive time?

13. If I-64 is at least 10-15 miles outside of Evansville, why can't all those cities on the first three segments thrive with an upgraded U.S 41 only 20-30 miles away?

14. If I-69 is bypassing the vast majority of Evansville, why can't it bypass Bloomington?

15. Why is I-69 only projected to create 4,600 jobs when I-69 supporters themselves have been claiming that 47,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure?

16. Of the jobs projected to be created by I-69, how many of those are jobs that will simply move from U.S 41-I-70 over to I-69? How many are quality jobs versus minimum wage jobs?

As I've been saying for some time now, there is a pal over Evansville. Unfortunately, it is going to keep getting stronger until we change our thought process. We absolutely have to start innovating.

We need to look at cities such as Chattanooga for our vision. Chattanooga, which only has 167,674 residents is thinking like the big cities. A few years ago, the Federal Railroad Administration released a vision for High Speed Rail that contained 11 corridors for development...

http://www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/203.shtml

As you can see, Chattanooga was left off the list. Instead of going back to old methods of transportation such as the interstate, Chattanooga didn't give up. Not only did they not give up, they are aiming even higher than High Speed Rail.

Currently, high speed rail usually runs 110-220 mph. But, there is also another new rail technology called Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) where the train has no steel wheels and levitates over the track by magnets which power it. Maglev is capable of going over 310 mph. The only downside to Maglev is that it is double the price of High Speed Rail.

Maglev's price tag (which is still very competitive with the interstate construction costs) and being left off the High Speed Rail list hasn't kept Chattanooga down. No, they are planning on building a Maglev line from Chattanooga's airport to downtown Atlanta where it would connect with the rest of the high speed rail grid...

http://www.transrapid-usa.com/main.asp

http://www.transrapid-usa.com/images/route_USA.jpg

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/sep/25/maglev-money-will-be-raised-official-says/

Instead of wasting billions after billions after billions of dollars on an interstate from the 1950s that will give us little to no benefits, we need to think like Chattanooga. We need to push for High Speed Rail and Maglev Rail to come to Evansville! They will be cleaner, greener, cheaper, faster, safer, more luxurious, and will raise property values through the roof. We need RAILS NOT ROADS!
(photo credit: flickriver.com)