By Miles Flynn | Southern Indiana Business Report
JASPER — The announcement of a preferred route for a proposed highway improvement project in southwest Indiana is now expected to come this spring as part of a draft environmental impact statement on the Mid-States Corridor. The decision had been expected last fall, but the project group was prompted to shift gears following Gov. Eric Holcomb’s June statement on unrelated planned improvements along US 231 — one of the five possible paths still under consideration for the Mid-States Corridor.
The $75 million in improvements announced by Gov. Holcomb as part of the state’s Next Level Roads program are for portions of US 231in Martin and Dubois counties. Southern Indiana Business Report recently reached out to Indiana Department of Transportation Southwest District Director of Communications Jason Tiller for an update on the status of the US 231 work, and he referred questions to Mindy Peterson, who also serves as spokesperson for the Mid-States Corridor Project. “Mindy is a contractor with C2 Strategic Communications, and her firm has been retained by INDOT for communications regarding Mid-States Corridor,” he explained. “With 231 improvements being considered as part of the tier 1 study, we’re asking their team to field those questions at this time.”
Peterson noted that while US 231 improvements will focus on localized needs to improve safety and mobility, such as added passing lanes or signal improvements, the planned work’s impact still must be considered by the project team. “Specific projects and a timeline have not been determined yet,” she said.
Five routes still on table
Reviewing the routes still under consideration, beginning at I-64, just north of Dale:
- Route B would proceed north, pass to the west of Huntingburg and Jasper, then east of Otwell and Dogwood Lake, to link with I-69 south of Washington.
- Route C would begin on the same route outlined above until breaking off near State Road 56 and swinging to the north of Jasper. It would then turn westward, passing through the Alfordsville area and north of Dogwood Lake, to connect with I-69 east of Washington.
- Route P would roughly follow U.S. 231 north from I-64, pass just east of Huntingburg and Jasper, then pass either to the west or east of Loogootee, before proceeding north to join I-69 near Crane.
- Route M would follow the same path described above until reaching Loogootee. At that point, the highway would turn northeast, roughly following State Road 450 through northeast Martin County and western Lawrence County, to meet up with State Road 37 just northwest of Bedford.
- Finally, Route O would follow the same paths outlined above until passing by Jasper. The road would then turn east, roughly following U.S. 150/State Road 56 to a point just south of French Lick. It would then turn north, passing the east side of French Lick and West Baden Springs, before continuing northeast to join S.R. 37 at Mitchell.
New road opposition
Meanwhile, residents concerned about what the road could mean for local property owners and the environment continue to organize against the project. A large crowd turned out to Vincennes University Jasper Campus for the Jan. 11 meeting of the Stop the Mid-States Corridor Project group, and the organization’s next meeting is slated for Jan. 25 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Orleans Elementary School in Orange County.
The highway project team is accepting input at www.MidStatesCorridor.com, by email at [email protected], by phone at 812-482-3116, and by mail or in person at its office. The office is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in CTIM Room 202, 850 College Avenue, Jasper, IN 47546.
Next steps
The preferred corridor identified is still expected to be 2,000 feet wide. Narrowing down the road’s proposed path further will require more study, consideration of impacts, and review of public comments received after the announcement.
Peterson previously told Southern Indiana Business Report that the project team is planning to hold two public hearings after the DEIS is published and that hearings are expected to include a virtual component for attendees. Comments will be received during the hearings, and a formal comment period of at least 30 days will follow.
Coming next would be the tier 1 final environmental impact statement and record of decision from the Federal Highway Administration. As of last report, that action could come as early as this summer. However, the timeline for subsequent steps isn’t clear. Peterson previously explained that if a build alternative is selected, more detailed tier 2 studies will follow to study more detailed impacts and specific alignments. However, she noted, there’s no specific timeline for those next steps.
(This story was updated on the evening of Jan. 13 to correct the timing of the expected announcement of the preferred route. As posted earlier on the afternoon of Jan. 13, it initially indicated the announcement is expected in February. It is actually not expected until this spring.)