I-69 Final Environmental Study Released

From: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) I-69 Section 1 Final Environmental Study Released Oakland City, Ind. – After nearly three years of extensive environmental studies, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) have released the Tier 2 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Section 1 of the I-69 Evansville-to-Indianapolis project. Section 1 begins at I-64 near Evansville and generally runs along SR 57 to SR 64 near Oakland City. The Section 1 FEIS is the product of public input and meticulous environmental and engineering studies. The FEIS recommends a preferred alignment for the highway within the first section of the federally-approved 142-mile I-69 corridor. Since early 2004, numerous preliminary alignments have been made available for review at the Section 1 project office and during public information meetings. Those alignments were refined and reconfigured based on public input and further study. “The completion of the FEIS document is a major step forward for this important project,” said INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning. “Governor Daniels pledged to build I-69, and because of his determination, southwest Indiana will soon have a vital transportation asset and economic development tool. We’re eager to receive a Record of Decision for Section 1 so actual construction can begin.” It is anticipated that FHWA will give its final approval of the route of I-69 in Section 1 by issuing a Record of Decision (ROD) before the end of 2007. The ROD will authorize use of federal funds in the design and construction of Section 1 of I-69. Construction is planned to begin on portions of Section 1 by the summer of 2008. The corridor for the entire I-69 Evansville-to-Indianapolis project was approved by FHWA in March 2004, based on the Tier 1 EIS released in December 2003. The Section 1 FEIS is the first of the six Tier 2 studies to be completed. The Tier 2 studies for the other five sections are in progress. The new interstate is widely regarded as a key component to the future economic vitality of southwestern Indiana and will provide necessary connectivity with the rest of the state and the nation. Gov. Daniels’ Major Moves construction program contains $700 million to fund construction of the project from I-64 to US 231 just north of Crane Naval Weapons Support Center. In September, the I- 69 project received additional federal support when the United States Department of Transportation designated it as one of six “Corridors of the Future.” That program will fund a variety of studies designed to reduce congestion on some of the nation’s busiest interstate corridors, including one for the I-69 corridor from Arkansas to Michigan. The entire FEIS document is available at the Section 1 local project office and on the I-69 project Web site. The document is also available at area libraries. For more information about all six sections of I- 69 visit the project Web site at www.i69indyevn.org