Jasper Council commits $1.4 million to Midstate Corridor study
The Jasper Common Council approved funding up to $1.4 million over three years for the Tier I environmental study of the Midstate Corridor.
The Midstate Corridor is a proposed interstate-grade highway connecting the improved portion of U.S. 231 ending at the southern border of Dubois County with I-69.
The dedication of funding from the City of Jasper is a portion of the $3.5 million in public funding for the estimated $7 million study that will help determine the route of the corridor through the county.
Earlier this year, the county was asked to cover about half, $1.75 million, of the $3.5 million and Huntingburg was asked to commit 10 percent, or $350,000.
The Mid-State Corridor group has procured $3.5 million in commitments from private sources as part of the private/public partnership proposal approved earlier this year by the newly formed Regional Development Authority. The study is necessary for the state and RDA to seek federal funding through the FASTLANE program.
“[It’s] not good, it’s a great project,” Indiana governor Eric Holcomb told WITZ Radio News Director David Shepherd. “A lot of my cohorts, governors from across the country; they’re not in this position to be able to say, ‘ok, what’s next?”
A group of local business owners and public officials has been pushing for the construction of the interstate-grade roadway designed to provide a better connection from the Ohio River in Spencer County through Dubois County to Interstate 69 since 2011. The connection is necessary, according to the group, to facilitate economic growth as well as attract new business to the region
“It’s another shining example of communities coming together, thinking regionally, absolutely locally, but regionally, tapping in to all the assets of that region,” added the governor.
While the route has not been chosen, as part of the agreement with the Indiana Department of Transportation, local representatives are expected to have input on the path the estimated $300 million road takes through the county.
Mid-State Corridor moving forward; $7 million in private and public funding sought
Meeting planned.
