Mark Nowotarski - Comments

Pursuant to request for comment regarding the Mid-States Corridor project in Dubois County Indiana, I hold strong opposition to this new terrain highway. 1.Purpose and Need There is no realistic purpose or need for a highly destructive highway project with very minimal or no benefit. Dating back to the first public meeting to start the Tier 1 study the purpose and need was defined as improving safety and reducing congestion along existing US 231. In the draft Tier 1 study the FHWA determined that did not qualify. At that point this project should have been stopped. However, INDOT and the Lochmueller Group changed the Purpose and Need to travel time saved and “connectivity”. When it was determined the amount of time saved was insignificant it once again was altered to improve business and personal regional connectivity and improve highway connections to existing multi-modal locations in Southern Indiana. Then for the Tier 2 study it was modified again to provide improved linkage from Dubois County to major business destinations and freight intermodal centers, improving employee access to Dubois County businesses, increasing the efficiency of freight operations, and completing Section 2 of the Mid-States Corridor. In other words, the narrative continues to change to justify the project and none of it is valid. 2.Costs Continue to Escalate In the Tier 1 study the estimate for this project was stated as $1.1 billion for the entire 54-mile project at 2020 costs without land acquisition. Now the cost for just the Section 2 portion through Dubois County is listed as $1.1 billion at 2024 costs without land acquisition. Currently it is estimated the entire 54-mile project could land at $3.4 billion or more. This is not economically feasible. 3.Alternatives There are several options to improve traffic flow at a fraction of the cost and with minimal destruction. The commitment that Governor Holcomb announced in 2021 to use $75 million for adding passing lanes and improving some intersections on US 231 through Dubois and Martin counties was never taken seriously only because the people behind pushing this new terrain highway wanted the study to only focus on options for a 4-lane highway. INDOT already owns right of way land along US 231 purchased decades ago for the purpose of adding passing lanes. In addition, there are existing state, county, and city roads that can be improved for use as truck routes. These options have been submitted to INDOT but not looked at in a serious way. 4.False and Misleading Narrative Throughout the entire study process the narrative continues to change. This includes how time travel saved is calculated, which is not reality and continues to change for the benefit of trying to justify this project. Another false narrative is the claim that the Mid-States Corridor will reduce semi-trailer traffic on the existing US 231 by 1,700 a day, but there is no reference to the study or model used. 5.Impact on the Community Throughout this study process there has been no serious consideration for the impact on the residents. The number of roads that would be dead ended, the re-routing required to get access and cross the Mid-States Corridor, the additional time to get to work or medical appointments and the extra time required for emergency services all have a negative impact on residents, yet the study tries to minimize that. The process over time that has been used to get “public” input is skewed. Conducting a periodic one-time public session to “show and tell” the progress of the study does not provide real opportunities for residents to share their opinions. In the meantime, the study group holds extensive interviews with stakeholders who happen to be business executives pushing this project for their own benefit. In conclusion, this proposed project is a waste of Hoosier taxpayers’ money, and has no proven economic benefits, only wild projections. Polls have shown that over 80% of the Dubois County residents do not want the Mid-States Corridor and do not want our rural community, including forestland, farmland, and Hoosier Homestead farms destroyed. There is no justification for the cost to build this unwanted project. It makes no sense to cancel or indefinitely postpone over 400 road and bridge projects already on the INDOT STIP across the state due to “lack of funds” but continue to push this project. Based on these issues and the thousands of residents opposed to this project, I am asking the Federal Highway Administration to NOT approve the Mid-States Corridor. Sincerely, Mark Nowotarski Dubois County Resident