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4/1/2016 |
Chamber |
INDOT Selects SR 37 to Complete I69 SW Connection to I465 |
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The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has recommended State Road 37 between Martinsville and Indianapolis as its recommended route for the sixth, and final, section of the southwest Indiana I-69 expansion project. In selecting this route, INDOT notes it best meets the performance measures established as the project’s goals.
Factors leading the selection of the SR 37 corridor included improved safety and the greatest economic impact. The interstate is expected to reduce the number of crashes in the study area by nearly 1,400 per year. What’s more, the interstate is expected to increase in local wages by $1.7 billion and increase regional GDP by $2.4 billion over the next 20 years.
“This is an important announcement for local businesses and local workers. The uncertainty of I-69’s final route has stifled business location and expansion plans along the SR 37 corridor for ten years,” said Christian Maslowski, president and CEO of the Greater Greenwood Chamber.
INDOT’s announcement is consistent with its 2004 tier one environmental impact decision recommending a corridor that utilizes existing SR 37 corridor between Martinsville and Indianapolis as the new I-69. However, the tier one decision allowed INDOT to consider alternatives other than the SR37 corridor as part of its tier two study (begun in 2014).
“With this final selection, businesses finally have certainty their Johnson or Marion County SR 37 location will soon gain interstate connectivity. And that will lead to new jobs for local residents.”
INDOT will complete its tier two environmental impact study in 2016. The study will finalize research into the impact of the project on traffic, sound, residents, waterways, endangered species, economics, and more.
While the SR 37 corridor has been identified as the reasonable route, the exact alignment of the eventual interstate along SR 37 is yet to be determined.
The Chamber previously endorsed SR 37 as the final route for I69 section six.
According to INDOT, “There will be three alternative alignments variations of proposed I-69 within the SR 37 corridor. These different alignments variations include proposed locations of potential interchanges, overpasses/underpasses (grade separations) and local service access roads on the corridor.”
A draft environmental impact statement is expected Q1 2017 and will review INDOT’s environmental impact findings, as well as identify their preferred I-69 alignment within the SR 37 corridor. An official record of decision is expected to be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration Q1 2018. Construction can begin anytime following final federal approval.
Section six construction funding is not yet identified, but required to be identified for federal approval. INDOT has stated section six will not be tolled.
Read the section six alternatives screening report here.
Keep up with the I-69 Southwest Indiana expansion project, including information on section six, at http://www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/
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