I-69 Ohio River Bridge

[hbelkins]

If 41 is moved to the I-164 route (a big IF in my opinion) it's not obvious that it would rejoin the old 41 route at the 164 interchange. INDOT could route 41 across the new I-69 bridge, if they can get Kentucky to agree. That might give a little additional boost to I-69 bridge toll receipts, which would be attractive to both states. I'm figuring it will be a toll bridge, though that's not set in stone.

Would a potential move of 41 be to keep traffic coming from Terre Haute, Princeton, etc., on a through-route-grade road on south, or would there be some other reason?

More likely due to Indiana's mileage caps, since they'd likely give old 41 to the city.

[Captain Jack]

I heard its going to be I-169

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

Oh no, that will probably get Mayor Ron worked up again. Somehow in his mind, having a 369 or 569 for the Audubon will not be as significant as 169.

Funny, all these towns try to get every bit of concrete they can converted to a blue-red shield, but sitting here in Evansville, I just don't see the need to make the stub anything other than Veterans Parkway. I guess it could be designated Bypass 41.

[silverback1065]

I heard its going to be I-169

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

Oh no, that will probably get Mayor Ron worked up again. Somehow in his mind, having a 369 or 569 for the Audubon will not be as significant as 169.

Funny, all these towns try to get every bit of concrete they can converted to a blue-red shield, but sitting here in Evansville, I just don't see the need to make the stub anything other than Veterans Parkway. I guess it could be designated Bypass 41.

I hope they keep 41 where it is. 

[Pete from Boston]

If 41 is moved to the I-164 route (a big IF in my opinion) it's not obvious that it would rejoin the old 41 route at the 164 interchange. INDOT could route 41 across the new I-69 bridge, if they can get Kentucky to agree. That might give a little additional boost to I-69 bridge toll receipts, which would be attractive to both states. I'm figuring it will be a toll bridge, though that's not set in stone.

Would a potential move of 41 be to keep traffic coming from Terre Haute, Princeton, etc., on a through-route-grade road on south, or would there be some other reason?

More likely due to Indiana's mileage caps, since they'd likely give old 41 to the city.

Mileage caps?

[silverback1065]

Yep

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

[NE2]

As of 2013 they have 832 miles of wiggle room. Getting rid of a 16-mile piece of US 41 isn't going to matter much either way.

(PS: in that table WTF do they mean by "Old State Road" and "Old US route"? Are those internal designations for still-maintained old alignments?)

[jnewkirk77]

As of 2013 they have 832 miles of wiggle room. Getting rid of a 16-mile piece of US 41 isn't going to matter much either way.

(PS: in that table WTF do they mean by "Old State Road" and "Old US route"? Are those internal designations for still-maintained old alignments?)

That's my guess.  I'm fairly sure the "OUS 50" is the old route through Washington; I can't remember who told me that INDOT still maintains it, but the last time I remember work being done on that road, it was in the INDOT letting list.  It struck me as odd then, but not so much now that I've seen that ...

[tdindy88]

It'd have to be Washington. The only other ones I can think of would be Bedford or Vincennes (but the latter is unlikely.)

[silverback1065]

That's wierd. You would think they would have routed us 150 onto that piece

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

[silverback1065]

Are their any other unsigned state roads in Indiana?

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

[andy]

That's wierd. You would think they would have routed us 150 onto that piece

That would not be feasible because key among a number considerations, the bridge over the White river was abandoned so that piece of road doesn't connect to the west anymore.  (OK, they could have upgraded one of the county roads, but they don't really need it.)

[Pete from Boston]

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/feb/12/lobbyists-to-be-hired-for-i-69-bridge/
The article indicates that Western Kentucky and Indiana groups have hired Appian, Inc., an Indianapolis firm specializing in transportation lobbying, to lobby for federal funding for the project. The groups concede that tolls will comprise part of the funding, but will only cover 26% to 43% of the cost.

This letter from SW Indiana Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Matthew Meadors seems to set forth a game plan to obtaining the other 57% to 74% of the funding for the bridge:
(1) get I-69 to be designated a Project of National and Regional Significance in the federal highway reauthorization bill, (2) have the Federal Highway Administration appoint a national Interstate 69 Project Manager, (3) maintain that the I-69 Ohio River crossing is important in both regional and national terms, (4) emphasize the age of the US 41 twin bridges, as well as the fact that they are neither tornado nor earthquake proof, and (5) emphasize the dramatic, negative impact that the loss of one or both of the US 41 bridges would have on the regional economy. Apparently, the thinking is that all of the above would make the I-69 Ohio River Bridge a high priority for a FHWA I-69 Project Manager.

I am writing this letter to you on the morning (significance to come) of Tuesday, Feb. 29, one day after returning from a trip to Washington, D.C., with a delegation of business leaders from Southwest Indiana and Northwest Kentucky to discuss our region's needs with federal officials. Our visit had a heavy focus on advocating for the completion of Interstate 69 within Indiana and Kentucky, as well as along the entire national corridor, and construction of a new Ohio River bridge linking Evansville to Henderson.
The visit included a luncheon meeting that was attended by influencers from many parts of the eight state I-69 corridor. Speakers included Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas; Gov. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky; Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky; Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear; Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael Cline; Jennifer Shepard, executive director of the Alliance for I-69 in Texas; and Mike Schopmeyer, past chairman of the board of directors for The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana.
During visits with our elected officials to discuss the highway and bridge project, we stayed on message. Key points of our discussions included:
Designate Interstate 69 a Project of National and Regional Significance in the federal highway reauthorization bill. This designation will make segments of the highway throughout the corridor eligible for programmatic funding from the Federal Highway Administration and partially mitigate the need for lawmakers to ask for large earmarks to help build the road;
Have the Federal Highway Administration appoint an Interstate 69 Project Manager. This has been done in the past for other multistate highway projects and there is enough progress being made along the entire national corridor – and awareness of the importance of the project to the nation's economic competitiveness – that a Project Manager is warranted;
The construction of a new bridge between Evansville and Henderson is critically important not only to our economic region, but the entire multistate corridor;
The importance of tolling and allowing public/private partnerships to be established to help fund our nation's infrastructure needs.
The Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges, or more commonly referred to as the twin bridges by those of us who call the region home, were also discussed fairly extensively during our visit. We talked about the age of the bridges (northbound bridge was built in 1932; southbound bridge was built in 1966), quality of construction, usage (approximately 40,000 vehicles per day), the fact that the bridges are not earthquake or tornado proof, and the dramatic, negative impact that the loss of one or both bridges would have on our regional economy.
Which brings me full circle to the significance of the morning of February 29. Most of us watched in a state of great concern as the weather forecasters told us of an approaching tornado, while warning sirens wailed in the distance. It was a few minutes before 6 a.m. The tornado was taking aim at our fellow citizens and the twin bridges. I could hardly believe that I had just returned from Washington, D.C., to discuss our infrastructure needs the evening before, and was now sitting in my family room watching a very serious storm approach. Thankfully a catastrophe was avoided. No lives were lost. Property damage was significant but not great. The twin bridges remained standing.
We need a new bridge. We will make it happen.

That letter is from two years ago.  What kind of traction has this strategy gotten?

Also, I'm curious what the federal funding level has been for projects comparable to this one.  Can anyone elaborate?

[Captain Jack]

Mayor Annoying Orange is still at it...from today's Evansville Courier and Press:

Transportation chief rejects rerouting of I-69 (again) but Owensboro mayor to continue campaign


By Chuck Stinnett
Posted March 10, 2014 at 5:16 p.m.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has, through his state transportation secretary, declined to pursue rerouting Interstate 69 through Daviess County, as the mayor of Owensboro has recently proposed.

But Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne said Monday that he intends to press forward with his campaign and intends to meet with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul on the matter.

Additionally, he said state Sen. Joe Bowen of Owensboro is working to arrange meetings with state transportation officials in both Kentucky and Indiana.

Further, Payne said he might propose that the city of Owensboro hire an engineering firm to prepare cost estimates to compare the cost of building a new billion-dollar bridge across the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville versus upgrading highways in Owensboro and Southern Indiana and using the existing Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

The state's latest rejection of his proposal "just doesn't change anything,"  Payne said.

He said he is also anxious to see a state-commissioned study by Palmer Engineering of Winchester. The study was originally intended to look at the cost of upgrading state parkways into interstate spurs that would connect Owensboro to Interstate 69 at Henderson and Interstate 65 at Bowling Green, but Payne said its scope has been expanded to look at the cost of using the Natcher Bridge for I-69.

"If there is substantial savings to move (I-69) through here, I want someone to tell me why not do that,"  the Owensboro mayor declared.

"This may go nowhere,"  he said. "But the taxpayers of Indiana and Kentucky need to have this done."

Payne on Feb. 26 wrote to Beshear, asking that "all work on the I-69 corridor in Kentucky be suspended"  until consideration had been given to using the existing U.S. 231/Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

On Friday, Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock, at the governor's request, advised Payne that the corridor won't be moved.

Hancock said the I-69 corridor from Mexico to Canada, including the section at Henderson and Evansville, "was selected through intensive evaluation of alternative corridors and associated environmental effects,"  a process that "culminated in Congressional action to write the corridor location into federal law."

"This routing was decided following several decades of discussion and decision making,"  Will Wingfield, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, echoed in an email message to The Gleaner.

Both Kentucky and Indiana have worked over the past several years to route I-69 to Henderson and Evansville.

Kentucky has already awarded $34 million in contracts to upgrade portions of the Pennyrile Parkway to become I-69 from Henderson to Madisonville, with more expected.

Indiana, meanwhile, "has opened 96 miles of interstate pointed toward Evansville and (has) an additional 27 miles under construction,"  Wingfield said.

"Given the investment each state is currently making in Interstate 69, it is much too late to seriously consider adjusting the corridor to go through Owensboro,"  Hancock wrote to Payne.

"I believe concrete speaks louder than words on this issue,"  Wingfield agreed.

Payne stunned I-69 supporters on Feb. 6 by proposing that instead of tying into the Pennyrile, I-69 should continue eastward on the Western Kentucky Parkway for some 30 miles, then travel north on the Green River Parkway, east on the Owensboro Bypass and U.S. 60 to the four-lane Natcher Bridge near Maceo, Ky. From there, his proposal would have I-69 travel north on U.S. 231 in Southern Indiana before heading back west on I-64 to the existing I-69 terminus northeast of Evansville.

In his letter Friday, Hancock declared: "Neither the existing Owensboro Bypass, the Owensboro Bypass Extension currently being completed, U.S. 60 from Owensboro to the Natcher Bridge, the Natcher Bridge itself nor the recently improved U.S. 231 in Southern Indiana are interstate-compatible facilities. Accordingly, both Kentucky and Indiana would incur huge expense in reconstructing these routes to fully access-controlled interstate standards with sufficient roadway and bridge widths to accommodate Interstate 69."

"The letter reiterates everything we've been saying the last month since this controversy arose,"  Kyndle President and CEO Brad Schneider of Henderson, a leading I-69 booster, said Monday.

The governor's views on I-69 are "the same as the letter,"  Schneider said. "I know they collaborated on it."

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield similarly has dismissed Payne's proposal, declaring at a Feb. 19 Kyndle luncheon here that the Henderson-Evansville route is "an issue that's already been decided and it's over."

[silverback1065]

Mayor Annoying Orange is still at it...from today's Evansville Courier and Press:

Transportation chief rejects rerouting of I-69 (again) but Owensboro mayor to continue campaign


By Chuck Stinnett
Posted March 10, 2014 at 5:16 p.m.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has, through his state transportation secretary, declined to pursue rerouting Interstate 69 through Daviess County, as the mayor of Owensboro has recently proposed.

But Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne said Monday that he intends to press forward with his campaign and intends to meet with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul on the matter.

Additionally, he said state Sen. Joe Bowen of Owensboro is working to arrange meetings with state transportation officials in both Kentucky and Indiana.

Further, Payne said he might propose that the city of Owensboro hire an engineering firm to prepare cost estimates to compare the cost of building a new billion-dollar bridge across the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville versus upgrading highways in Owensboro and Southern Indiana and using the existing Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

The state's latest rejection of his proposal "just doesn't change anything," Payne said.

He said he is also anxious to see a state-commissioned study by Palmer Engineering of Winchester. The study was originally intended to look at the cost of upgrading state parkways into interstate spurs that would connect Owensboro to Interstate 69 at Henderson and Interstate 65 at Bowling Green, but Payne said its scope has been expanded to look at the cost of using the Natcher Bridge for I-69.

"If there is substantial savings to move (I-69) through here, I want someone to tell me why not do that," the Owensboro mayor declared.

"This may go nowhere," he said. "But the taxpayers of Indiana and Kentucky need to have this done."

Payne on Feb. 26 wrote to Beshear, asking that "all work on the I-69 corridor in Kentucky be suspended" until consideration had been given to using the existing U.S. 231/Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

On Friday, Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock, at the governor's request, advised Payne that the corridor won't be moved.

Hancock said the I-69 corridor from Mexico to Canada, including the section at Henderson and Evansville, "was selected through intensive evaluation of alternative corridors and associated environmental effects," a process that "culminated in Congressional action to write the corridor location into federal law."

"This routing was decided following several decades of discussion and decision making," Will Wingfield, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, echoed in an email message to The Gleaner.

Both Kentucky and Indiana have worked over the past several years to route I-69 to Henderson and Evansville.

Kentucky has already awarded $34 million in contracts to upgrade portions of the Pennyrile Parkway to become I-69 from Henderson to Madisonville, with more expected.

Indiana, meanwhile, "has opened 96 miles of interstate pointed toward Evansville and (has) an additional 27 miles under construction," Wingfield said.

"Given the investment each state is currently making in Interstate 69, it is much too late to seriously consider adjusting the corridor to go through Owensboro," Hancock wrote to Payne.

"I believe concrete speaks louder than words on this issue," Wingfield agreed.

Payne stunned I-69 supporters on Feb. 6 by proposing that instead of tying into the Pennyrile, I-69 should continue eastward on the Western Kentucky Parkway for some 30 miles, then travel north on the Green River Parkway, east on the Owensboro Bypass and U.S. 60 to the four-lane Natcher Bridge near Maceo, Ky. From there, his proposal would have I-69 travel north on U.S. 231 in Southern Indiana before heading back west on I-64 to the existing I-69 terminus northeast of Evansville.

In his letter Friday, Hancock declared: "Neither the existing Owensboro Bypass, the Owensboro Bypass Extension currently being completed, U.S. 60 from Owensboro to the Natcher Bridge, the Natcher Bridge itself nor the recently improved U.S. 231 in Southern Indiana are interstate-compatible facilities. Accordingly, both Kentucky and Indiana would incur huge expense in reconstructing these routes to fully access-controlled interstate standards with sufficient roadway and bridge widths to accommodate Interstate 69."

"The letter reiterates everything we've been saying the last month since this controversy arose," Kyndle President and CEO Brad Schneider of Henderson, a leading I-69 booster, said Monday.

The governor's views on I-69 are "the same as the letter," Schneider said. "I know they collaborated on it."

U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield similarly has dismissed Payne's proposal, declaring at a Feb. 19 Kyndle luncheon here that the Henderson-Evansville route is "an issue that's already been decided and it's over."

My goodness, this guy is one piece of work!  He blatantly just wants the reroute to benefit Owensboro, His thoughts on where 69 should go are stupid!  The supposed cost savings by using 231 will just go to the new terrain routes and upgrading what is already there!  69 isn't allowed to go on the 231 bridge due to some road width issues as the cabinet says.  Will he just give up!  The route he proposes makes no sense at all, it will zig-zag to the point where the road isn't even useful.  Payne give it up! You have 0% chance of winning this one!  I like how his route completely screws over evansville completely.  What do you guys think?  does he have any chance at changing the route?

[Brandon]

My goodness, this guy is one piece of work!  He blatantly just wants the reroute to benefit Owensboro, His thoughts on where 69 should go are stupid!  The supposed cost savings by using 231 will just go to the new terrain routes and upgrading what is already there!  69 isn't allowed to go on the 231 bridge due to some road width issues as the cabinet says.  Will he just give up!  The route he proposes makes no sense at all, it will zig-zag to the point where the road isn't even useful.  Payne give it up! You have 0% chance of winning this one!  I like how his route completely screws over evansville completely.  What do you guys think?  does he have any chance at changing the route?

He has about as much chance as a snowball does in Hell. 

[silverback1065]

Haha I agree!

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

[vdeane]

Can he be impeached for idiocy?  His idea makes even less sense that the most nonsensical posts in fictional highways.  It's blatantly obvious he knows nothing about interstates beyond "they're that thing with the blue shield that businesses like".

[The Great Zo]

Further, Payne said he might propose that the city of Owensboro hire an engineering firm to prepare cost estimates to compare the cost of building a new billion-dollar bridge across the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville versus upgrading highways in Owensboro and Southern Indiana and using the existing Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

Well, that's going to make him some friends.

[US 41]

Even if 69 was routed through Owensboro on his route, none of the main traffic would go that way. Everyone would go to Evansville and use the existing 41 bridges and travel on their way. At least my idea of using the existing bridges is actually modest. My plan for saving money is smart. His is stupid.

[Alps]

Further, Payne said he might propose that the city of Owensboro hire an engineering firm to prepare cost estimates to compare the cost of building a new billion-dollar bridge across the Ohio River between Henderson and Evansville versus upgrading highways in Owensboro and Southern Indiana and using the existing Natcher Bridge in eastern Daviess County.

Well, that's going to make him some friends.

Speaking very selfishly, I'll be friends with any mayor who wants to waste money on engineering studies, as long as he asks my company to do them. (:

[Pete from Boston]

Can he be impeached for idiocy?  His idea makes even less sense that the most nonsensical posts in fictional highways.  It's blatantly obvious he knows nothing about interstates beyond "they're that thing with the blue shield that businesses like".

I don't really care what Ron Payne knows about interstates because it doesn't matter.  What is interesting, though, is his motivation.  As I see it, the potential answers are:

a) he is trying to get the word "Owensboro" in the papers a lot in an issue framed around growth and optimism, or
b) the same, with the words "Ron Payne" also attached (pretty much a given regardless), or
c) he's trying to appeal to the fiscal hawks that drool at this sort of "conspiracy to waste tax money" talk, regardless of truth, building name recognition and making him attractive for higher office among said folks, or
d) he has an alternative project up his sleeve that he's really aiming for, hoping to achieve it as a "compromise" when it was his goal all along, or
e) he actually thinks this plan is the right one and our bureaucracy is too intractable to acknowledge when it's wrong, and he's not planning on letting them off the hook, or
f) he personally stands to materially benefit from a rerouting.

I'm sure there are lots of "g) he's mentally ill"-type answers that I'm sure folks will demonstrate their finest creativity with.

Possibility C sounds most reasonable to me, but I don't know the guy's politics, and I don't see a campaign web site for him where he'd get into it, but it'd appeal to people who like that sort of bluster.

[vdeane]

Still, claiming that having I-69 essentially have a giant sideways U in the middle of its routing just to use an exiting bridge will save money is a big lie.  Even if his claims about saving Kentucky money were true (which they aren't because of these things called "interstate standards"), it definitely would cost Indiana more.  As such I'd actually prefer he be an idiot rather than the more likely chance of having a deeper agenda.  At least idiots don't know any better.  Intentionally lying is a VERY good way to get on my bad side very fast with little chance of forgiveness.

Speaking very selfishly, I'll be friends with any mayor who wants to waste money on engineering studies, as long as he asks my company to do them. (:

Yes, I imagine such friendship comes with lots of "benefits".

[theline]

The big question about getting the bridge built is how to pay for it. Kentucky and Indiana could come up with the money easily if they just emulate Colorado. 

[Captain Jack]

One of my guesses on his reasoning, (besides the Mayor is a complete whackadoodle) would be he is positioning himself to get this as a consolation prize.



I-67 project from Dubois County to Owensboro, Ky. to be dubbed 'Midstate Corridor'
By Jonathan Streetman/The Jasper Herald

Posted March 12, 2014 at 1 p.m., updated March 12, 2014 at 1 p.m.
HUNTINGBURG, Ind. – The proposed Interstate 67 project – which would link Dubois County directly to Owensboro – will now be known by a new name. Hank Menke, president of the I-67 Development Corp., announced the switch Wednesday morning.

Menke, president and CEO of OFS Brands in Huntingburg and a member of the government-appointed state Blue Ribbon Commission, said the project is now being called the "Midstate Corridor."

He made the announcement during a presentation at the Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce Business Education Series event at the Old National Bank building. About 20 chamber members were present.

"The end game is still to have an interstate,"  Menke said. "And anything done in Dubois County should be done in interstate grade."

Interstate grade would allow vehicles to travel up to 70 mph with minimal interchanges to keep traffic flowing.

The name change is not a complete abandonment of the interstate idea, Menke said, but provides a more realistic goal for the near future.

"Gov. (Mike) Pence wanted the Blue Ribbon Commission to think big, so that's what we did,"  Menke said. "But with so many projects, adding on an interstate is like trying to swallow an elephant. We want to do this correctly and complete it in smaller parts."

Instead of asking for approval of an entire interstate project stretching from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Nashville, Tenn., Menke is hoping for a smaller section connecting U.S. 231 to I-69 in Washington. The location of the Dubois County connection along U.S. 231 would be determined by the Indiana Department of Transportation at a later date.

The original plan was to connect U.S. 231 to I-69 in Washington by building a 38-mile corridor beginning where U.S. 231 intersects I-64 in Spencer County. It remains undecided if the proposed route would run east or west around Jasper and Huntingburg.

Menke believes the path would benefit Dubois County in a big way. The new section of roadway could also create a route to build from in the future, he said.

Menke said in 2011 that his company's trucks often skirt U.S. 231 by heading east on I-64 and connecting to I-65 to get to Indianapolis. He said the extra mileage costs his company about $250,000 annually.

"Studies show that communities within 10 miles of an interstate are more likely to bring in jobs than those that are not,"  Menke said.

Menke said Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, a Ferdinand native, has been a champion for the cause and Menke is optimistic about the corridor's chances when the Blue Ribbon Commission presents its final report to Pence's office in June. The commission has met three times – twice in Indianapolis and once in Fort Wayne – and examined several proposed projects throughout the state and attempted to tier their importance. Another Blue Ribbon meeting is set for 1 p.m. Friday, April 25, at OFS Huntingburg headquarters, 1204 E. Sixth Street. The meeting is an open forum.

Last year, the plan was for the projects in Tier 1 to be recommended for completion within five years. Those in Tier 2 were targeted for completion in six to eight years and Tier 3 projects would be finished in 15 to 20 years.

"If we get Tier 2, I'll be happy,"  Menke said today. "I just want to avoid Tier 3 or getting cut. ... I can't think of a more vital thing for this region. It would promote job growth and prevent brain drain. It would be all-around beneficial."

The I-67 project arose 2012. The idea, in part is to alleviate traffic on I-65, which spans from Bowling Green, Ky., to Indianapolis by way of Louisville. The construction of I-67 would also decrease travel time for Dubois County residents traveling to Indianapolis by about 45 minutes, Menke said. A study completed by Massachusetts-based Cambridge Systematics also determined an interstate would decrease accidents along the two-lane U.S. 231 by up to 2 percent, which equates to as many as 500 fewer accidents and 300 fewer significant injuries annually.

© 2014 Evansville Courier & Press. All rights reserved.

[Captain Jack]

This is where the good mayor gets exposed for talking out of both sides of his mouth. He wants I-69 to come 40 miles to the east and then back 40 something miles, all in the name of saving taxpayer money. However, he also is pushing for this interstate. If the mayor says it is reasonable to add an extra 80 miles or so to I-69, surely he would also insist it is reasonable and expected for his community to drive 20 miles to Henderson to take an interstate to Indianapolis and north.

I also agree with quesitoning why this proposed interstate is going to Washington instead of straight up 231 to 69. That appears to add at least 35-40 miles to the route. If the purpose of this route is to bring development and help the citizens of Dubois and Owensboro, what about the good folks of Martin County and Loogootee? Washington already has an interstate going to Evansville and Indianapolis. I doubt too many people there care about getting to Owensboro quicker.  Looking at the current map, I can't imagine too many people from Bowling Green/Nashville taking this route to Indy. In fact, when looking at it, it appears that the 24-Pennyrile-69 route would not be much farther than this corridor as a Louisville/65 alternative. Certainly not enough additional miles to justify the Ron Payne interstate.