David Houchin - Comments
David HouchinOpposeIndividual
Summary: A local resident opposes the Mid-States Corridor Project, arguing that it is an economically unfeasible and unnecessary project that will destroy rural land and farmland. The commenter suggests that funds should instead be used to repair existing infrastructure and improve current roads, such as the 231, which they claim would be more cost-effective and safer.
I am totally opposed to the Midstates- Corridor Project.There is no purposed for it. The estimated cost of the $3.4 billion dollar project not including land acquisition is not economically feasible. It has been determined that there are no real congestion issues or safety concerns. There are other ways to improve traffic flow including improving the passing lanes on 231and improving intersections as well as identifying and studying other existing roads that can be improved at a fraction of the cost. What happened toot he commitment made by Governor Holcomb in 2021 to use $75 millionfor the passing lanes and intersection improvements? Polls have proven that over 80% of the county residents do not want our rural community destroyed by a new terrain highway, including farmland, forests, and Legacy farms. The process used to get "public' input is skewed. The group does extensive interviews with individuals who are business owners and are pushing this to benefit their own company. The Purpose and Need has been changed several times to try to justify this project and none of it is valid.The time travel saving showed a 4 minute saving from Jasper to Indianapolis. It is no longer in the Purpose and Need .Now numbers are being thrown out that it would save 14 minutes through Dubois County. Another claim is that the MSC will reduce semi -trailor traffic on existing 231 by 1700 a day with no reference to a study that was used. Our own study over a 2 week period shows at most there are 660 trucks going through Dubois County in a day. Over 400 other safety related projects through Indiana were cancelled or indefinitely delayed due to lack of funds. THe $3.4 billion should be used to maintain and improve the infrastructure already in place. There is no need for a new terrain highway in Southern Indiana and this is an unwarranted road project and an inexcusable waste of taxpayer moneyand is fiscally irresponsible.The MSC should be stopped and our highways, which are already in horrible need of repair, should be fixed so that people and vehicles do not sustain injuries due to the incredible disrepair and dangerous conditions.