Letter: Keep shouting no to Mid-States Corridor
The Huntingburg City Council meeting of Tuesday, July 8, 2025 was rather interesting. The Mid-States Corridor was again on the agenda; and, both the Mid-States Corridor RDA and the Property Rights Alliance (PRA) were in attendance. If the number of supporters, for both sides, is indicative of how the people of Dubois County feel about the Mid-States Corridor, then they are overwhelmingly opposed.
Mark Schroeder presented a rebuttal to the Property Rights Alliance’s (PRA) resolution for rescinding Huntingburg’s support for the Mid-States Corridor; and, a counter resolution for Huntingburg to continue it’s support. The Council decided to punt and table both resolutions.
The RDA’s rebuttal was a point by point literal rebuttal of the PRA’s resolution. While what the RDA stated was factually true it left many conclusions of the latest Tier 2 Draft and previous studies unsaid. For example, the Tier 2 Draft stated that US 231 is one of the safest highways in the state and that congestion was minimal and could be alleviated by improving 2 intersections and adding a passing lane.
The RDA cited the Donahue Study from February 1990 that stated a bypass of Huntingburg and Jasper might be needed. It did not indicate a new 52 mile new terrain highway would be needed, just a bypass. No place in the Donahue Study is it ever expressed that a new terrain 4-lane highway through Dubois, Martin and Daviess counties was needed.
The Rust Study, a 1996 study of US 231, was also cited by the RDA. This study also suggested a bypass around Huntingburg and Jasper as it’s primary recommendation. Since this does not support what some proponents want, the conclusions are ignored.
The Earth Tech Study of 2004 did not advocate for a multi county new terrain highway, just bypasses around Huntingburg and Jasper.
The Cambridge Systematics I-67 Study of October 2012 was all about a connection from Bowling Green, KY to Washington, In. It did not advocate a new north/south highway through Dubois, Martin and Daviess counties; but, a westerly tract to I-69 to Washington. This was Hank Menke’s original plan/concept.
Gov. Pence’s Blue Ribbon Panel of 2014 did specify “a new 4-lane connector between the Ohio River near Rockport and I-69.” This was referred to as the Mid-States Corridor. This was the first time Mid-States Corridor was used. Until this time this was Hank Menke’s I-67 project. Remember, Hank Menke wanted a highway from the west side of Huntingburg to I-69, a much shorter route than the current 52 mile long proposed Mid-States Corridor.
It is easy to omit the data that disputes what one wants, and this is what Mark Schroeder and Hanke Menke did at the City Council meeting. They both chose not bring forth the conclusions from the Tier 2 Draft such as lack of congestion and how safe US 231 is. In fact, Hank Menke stated that US 231 was an outdated and unsafe highway as the main reason to build a $3 billion new highway.
The Mid-States Corridor is unneeded, unwanted and will be a drain on the taxpayers. It has become nothing but a vanity project and something that is uniting the people of Dubois, Martin and Daviess counties. We, the people of these counties and the cities therein, must continue to stand firm and say NO as loudly as we can. We can fight city hall and the politicos, and we can prevail. We are the patriots. Keep shouting NO to the Corridor.
Jim Arvin
Rutherford Township
Martin County
To clarify, this is not Mr. Jim Arvin of Jasper, the former CEO of Jasper Desk
