Letter: In support of the Mid-States “No Build” Option: Best choice for Hoosiers and the environment
At this moment of uncertainty during climate change, any project that disturbs the ecology of our state should be heavily vetted – especially a project of such enormous scope as the proposed Mid-States Corridor, which will disturb forests, wetlands, and the fragile ecology of both public and private lands. Southern Indiana is beautiful and the intact forestland, wetlands and diverse ecology found there should be seen as a resource in today’s rapidly changing climate.
As the Executive Committee Chair of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter, I attended the Orleans Town Hall Meeting to support the “Coalition Against Mid-States Corridor”. Since then, I have helped to organize and to speak out against this new terrain highway project at the Mitchell Town Hall meeting and both Town Hall meetings in Loogootee. I called Governor Holcomb’s office and invited him to attend the last Town Hall meeting in Loogootee and listen to the concerns of the People.
As Hoosiers from across Indiana, the Hoosier Chapter supports the “Coalition Against the Mid-States Corridor” and appreciates the facts they have brought to light of an imbalance of power regarding this project due to the enactment of Senate Bill 128 in 2017. We support the hundreds of people that have written to or called Governor Holcomb and have attended Town Hall meetings to oppose this proposed highway.
My hometown is Mitchell, Indiana where “Route O” is positioned on the Lochmueller Group DEIS maps. At this moment, the Mid-States Corridor is simply an idea. It is understandable that this might have been thought of as a great idea that would benefit many people when first imagined, providing jobs and easier transportation options for not just those in the area, but even for those across the state. However, since January the people of Indiana who will lose their homes, businesses and multi-generational farms have demonstrated at every town hall meeting that the imagined benefits of this project do not outweigh the risks and harm. The citizens of Indiana have loudly and publicly proclaimed that this highway is not needed and not wanted.
Most of the funding for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid-States Corridor was given anonymously and those sources have not been shared with the public. These anonymous donors are from businesses and companies that stand to gain from this project while many more stand to lose. The DEIS was poorly prepared and “Need” has not been established, while the “No Build” option has not been explored. There are no reasons listed within the DEIS for the “No Build” option and the stated “Need” is – at best – under-supported. The DEIS does not include “studies of need” and does not include sufficient facts to support the purported need for this highway. Additionally, the DEIS lacks inclusivity because the landowners were not heard and not included in decisions that were made by the regional development authority (RDA), which is emblematic of the imbalance of power and lack of communication between the Indiana Legislature and the People.
Even though Senate Bill 128 was enacted, that does not give the supporters of this project the right to force it upon landowners. This is still just an idea and it can be stopped. When hundreds of Hoosiers stand up and say that this new terrain highway is “NOT NEEDED, NOT WANTED” I would hope as the leader of our state, that Governor Holcomb would listen and act in the best interest of most Hoosiers.
In my research to support my statements, I found an article written by Alan Rosenthal in 1999, (https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/the-good-legislature.aspx). In my opinion, this article offers a very useful guide and measure of the effectiveness of our legislature and should be used as a resource for Governors and State Legislators. “The challenge is to remain true to the fundamental purposes of representative democracy and the legislative system. For legislatures to be good they must carry out the functions we expect of them in our system of representative democracy. The principal ones are balancing power, representing constituencies and making laws. The constitutional system and the legislature ought to provide for substantial political equality, that is, ‘one person, one vote’.”
By enacting SB128, an inequality of the balance of powers has been allowed to slip by. In the long term, “We the People” intend to work to repeal SB128. If this project is allowed to come to fruition then it will be true that the People have been intentionally excluded from the democratic process by legislators and by the Governor. In the short term and in order to rectify this imbalance, the Governor can and should consider enforcing the “No Build” option for the Mid-States Corridor new terrain highway.
Julie Lowe, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Chair
If Ms. Lowe would bother to come to Dubois County she would see that our infrastructure is highly antiquated and a new highway is not just needed, but overdue. Of course, she has not made the trip. I can only assume because it is just too painful with the existing roadways. Like people from elsewhere she believes anything South of Bloomington is a bunch of farms inhabited by illiterate hillbillies. Please do not let her voice keep us living in the past century. Let’s build something new and change the negative stereotype. We might just save a few lives in the process.
I can assure you Ms. Lowe has been to Dubois County and Jasper several times and knows the roads well. There are much better options to improve existing roads. There is no need for a new highway.
I can guarantee you Ms. Lowe has been to Dubois County and to Jasper and knows the roads. She is also well versed on all the routes that were identified as part of this highway study and she knows all the harm and negative impacts building any new highway will have in this area. There are much easier fixes to any “perceived” transportation issues through Dubois County including the improvements identified for the current US 231 along with better traffic flow management through Jasper and Huntingburg. In addition, improvements can be made on other existing roads that allow for easy access to I-69. And by the way, there is not a negative stereotype about Southern Indiana from people in Bloomington, or Indy.
“Save a few lives”? Seriously, total waste of money, not wanted, not needed except in the minds of a handful of wealthy businessmen who only see profits. All you need to do is drive on some of our very adequate and well-maintained major roadways to see that a sprinkling of gas stations are about the only industry that flourishes along interstates. Do not attack the messenger, and a few cars backed up in a busy time of day is not cause to disrupt so many lives.
There are a lot of arguments against this endeavor, as there always are with any improvement. It’s always disturbing to learn that a long standing home or property will be disrupted, especially to the individuals affected. There is a process for doing that, and very seldom has it been accused of being unfair. Loss of farmland and karst is a bit overblown. I do a lot of travelling in this area. I-69 has been a great time saver. Like it or not, time is money. If we want to be involved, a part of this state, and continue to live a lifestyle we’ve become accustomed to, we need to stay connected. This connector….and a lot of other highway improvements….are needed and wanted by most.
It is projected to save about 5 minutes. Hardly justifiable for 1 billion dollars of tax-payer funds.
Wanted by most? Why did the politicians decide to take out referendum language in Senate Bill 128 then? Because if it was put to a vote, it wouldn’t pass! Senate Bill 128 directly took away the voice of the public and allowed big business to have a greater say over the average citizen in what happens in our state! The wealthier now have a more powerful voice and vote on thee sorts of things thanks to Senate Act 128 and Regional Development Authorities.
“Normally the funding for such a study would come from the Indiana Department of Transportation. This time, under a new law, the money came from a Regional Development Authority out of Dubois County.” https://www.washtimesherald.com/news/local_news/interstate-through-jasper-clears-important-funding-hurdle/article_d92e5f23-c08c-5ed3-b8d6-19dd241df13b.html
“When we removed the provisions for a referendum and potential property tax increases, the Farm Bureau got on board and then came a cascade of support.” https://indianaeconomicdigest.net/MobileContent/Most-Recent/Education/Article/New-law-could-open-way-for-additional-southern-Indiana-interstate/31/77/87955
“In 2014, the federal government withdrew both the 2004 and 2011 studies, saying the project is “no longer warranted” after reevaluating the traffic information, according to the Federal Register notice.”
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/transportation/2022/06/16/mid-states-corridor-proposal-regional-development-authority/7501692001/
For all of you against upgrading US 231, why not ask this guy what he thinks about it?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tristatehomepage.com/news/isp-fatal-accident-when-semi-ran-off-the-road/amp/
If you do, you better bring a heater and some serious smelling salts. I intended to link an article for ANOTHER serious semi-truck accident that halted traffic this month, but I had to settle for this one.
Saying that improving this road would only benefit businessmen is extremely myopic. Anything that would benefit the company owners would also benefit the workers of that company. There is an obvious symbiotic relationship between the two that should require no explanation. Our local economy is largely based around manufacturing and the global competition in that sector is increasing. Our ONLY relative advantage is lower transportation costs and has to be maintained or else there will be nobody living here because there will be no jobs.
Sure, this road will destroy a few houses like almost every road build in the last 50 years, but if you actually want your kids to have the opportunity to have a decent life here (as I do)
its obvious that this road leads to greater odds in their pursuit of happiness.
That area is not a congested part of 231. Imagine when it’s a 65mph highway with no traffic lights for intersections. This is NOT about safety.
I’m not against upgrading US 231. There is already $75million earmarked for that which should have been done YEARS ago! Mid-States Corridor is a completely new terrain highway that runs mostly parallel to US 231! There’s plenty of research out there why new roads are not the answer. Self-driving trucks that drive more at night as Chad Giesler mentioned in a recent letter to the editor in the Herald might be more forward thinking.
With the climate issues we are having, we should actually be doing things that deter driving and thinking of smarter solutions than just building new roads.
“A report from Climate Central last year found that temperatures in Indiana cities like Evansville are about 6 degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas. Concrete surfaces, taller buildings and bustles of human activity create “urban heat islands” that trap warmth and send the thermometer climbing.”
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/16/evansville-all-midwest-could-face-rolling-blackouts-summer/7575631001/
U.S. gently discouraging states from building new highways (urges fixing existing roads before building new ones)
https://www.wired.com/story/us-gently-discouraging-states-building-new-highways/amp
If you think our youth want new roads and aren’t concerned about how all these new roads impact the environment and will have severe negative consequences for their generation, take a look at this: https://apnews.com/article/climate-lawsuits-environment-hawaii-transportation-5f5ecd767467cdeb994fd779c099027b
And please if you’re going to have an opinion, post your name and have the courage to stand behind what you’re saying.
So let me sum up:
– We don’t need roads, just wait for the self driving semi’s to drive at night.
– A highway in the country is now somehow an urban heat island
-The feelings of children on a densely populated island with a great contrast of urban sprawl and natural wonder compacted together are representative of the feelings of children here
Since none of this is logical, I suspect this is personal and this road will affect your property.
The whole problem is the farmers. Those living embodiments of tax fraud are quick to tell everyone that “prime farm ground” is the most important and valuable thing on the planet. Although I will not argue the importance or farming to humanity, I can tell you that this concept is way over blown and is an opinion of severe bias. Farm ground has a fixed price in the real world. The problem in Dubois County is that of simple greed. We are very isolated here and our farmers want a lot more for said land than what the state will pay. I assure you, if there was more money involved, these farm owners would support the mid states corridor faster than you can say “tax deduction”.
David Lightman, because you went and commented on my FB page and stooped to insults, I suspect you already know this is personal for my family but that doesn’t change what I’ve said. This road has been pushed for over two decades and never succeeded because it’s not needed! We’ve wasted enough taxpayer money on various studies but now the big businesses are “donating” and remaining anonymous behind redacted financial donor information. This isn’t about need. This is about greed (but not from the farmers).
If you visited my Facebook page, you must have also saw my post/quote from the book Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town. “What they are doing is what engineers, planners, and project advocates all over the country do when going after state and federal funding for their project. They create propaganda. This is how the system works, and everyone involved knows, understands, and accepts it….this goes beyond a lack of rigor to something rightly thought of as institutional dishonesty, a ubiquitous deception made acceptable only by its broad adoption. It is immoral and it needs to end.” – Charles Marohn, Jr
Have you read the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid-States Corridor? If not, then I suspect your feelings “for” the road are just “personal” and not from assessing the various information over the last couple of decades.
Yes., they just keep feeding the industrial complex.
I am not insulting you, I am just pointing out that I am unable to see the logic in what you are saying.
If businesses are donating the funding for more studies instead of the taxpayer, shouldn’t that make you happy? I don’t follow your logic here.
You say the road has not succeeded for two decades because it is not needed, but that neglects the fact that the need has obviously increased over that time and will continue to increase. I don’t follow your logic here.
In terms of the Federal highway funding, you need to look at the big picture of how it works. Congress allocates a certain amount of money for roads, then the local groups write proposals to administrators requesting a portion of that money for their project. I am sure lots of groups embellish and create propaganda to stand out on their application relative to other competitors. I am not saying that makes it right, but that may provide you with some context for why that happens. Its the system we have, warts and all, but that’s kind of out of scope for this conversation.
And no, I have not read the draft environmental study because it seems obvious that the road to the north must be improved. However, If you have something logical to share from it, please do so.
I admittedly only assume that there was some kind of cost to benefit analysis done in the route selection, and it was decided to build along 231 instead of upgrading 231. Routing around Huntingburg, Jasper, Loogootee and all of the homes along the highway will likely provide a better transportation route (with no/fewer stoplights and higher speeds) at a lower cost with fewer peoples lives disrupted. Are you saying that didn’t happen and some mustache-twisting evil rich businessman is just targeting your property for fun?
INDOT traffic counts put it at 5000 vehicles per day and the 231 can handle upwards of 21000. THERE IS NO NEED. Work on traffic management and upgrades where needed on the existing road FIRST.
The unorthodox method of funding this study was a progressive move by a great state to save the tax payers the cost of doing so. Kudos to Indiana government and the entities actually funding it.
If by progressive you mean local Dubois County politicians writing a law that takes away the voice of their constituents they are at the state level to represent, then sure I guess this project meets your definition of progressive. They didn’t run their campaigns on writing this new law for a road they know is heavily opposed by the public and unfortunately one of them doesn’t have any opposing party running against to be voted out.
The businesses may have helped fund the study, but Dubois County taxpayers funded $3.5million, and while the road is going through Martin County, they didn’t contribute any money and didn’t have a seat at the table with the Mid-States Regional Development Authority.
I can assure you if the road happens it will cost billions for Indiana taxpayers. We can’t even keep up with maintaining our current roads, but yet as a state we just building new ones adding to the long list of roads to be maintained and ignoring environmental issues that are smacking us in the face.
That doesn’t meet my definition of progressive.
We have many billions to spend. The Biden administration just gave the state of Indiana $8.8B to spend on infrastructure. The Mid-States Corridor is now paid for. The road is paid for by the citizens of all 50 states.
About $6.6 billion will be allocated for federal-aid highway programs, according to a fact sheet from the White House that outlined funding for each state, based on expected federal funding formulas. US 231 is a Federal Highway.
Thank you America!
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/15/biden-signing-1-trillion-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-into-law.html
https://www.ibj.com/articles/indiana-to-land-8-8-billion-from-u-s-infrastructure-bill
To all the people commenting for the need for this highway, do your research and read the 484 DEIS. You will find that the majority of data is skewed to try to deliver the results toward the ones who funded this study. And by the way, half of the study was funded by us taxpayers with no say and the construction of this highway, if it happens will be from the taxpayers. Then our local counties and cities will have pay the long term burden of this road.
As someone who drives 231 a LOT, I can say that it is one of the most dangerous roads I’ve ever had to work along. As a utility provider, it is near impossible to safely be able to perform the work I need to on a daily basis. These local highways are unsafe due to the blind curves, hills and it’s not just us who have to deal with this either. Anyone who has a driveway on this road/highway takes their lives into their own hands anytime they have to drive. That’s not to mention the way people drive nowadays.
Anyone who has to drive through Jasper or Huntingburg can attest, these roads are congested and unsafe. Someone mentioned that 231 only has 5000 vehicles a day…more like per hour. 231 in Jasper is so congested, it can take upwards of 30 minutes to drive from one end to the other during peak rush times.
And yes, time is money for a lot of people. I know when I travel, I do not search out roads like 231 to drive, I’ll bypass them anytime I can. They are just too time-consuming, raising risks of accidents, etc.