Daniels says I-69 ahead of schedule; critics wary

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — The Interstate 69 extension between Evansville and Bloomington is on budget and should open years ahead of schedule in 2014, Gov. Mitch Daniels said May 19. But critics said it’s being built below normal standards and will need repairs ahead of schedule.

Daniels said the Federal Highway Administration recently approved environmental studies for the third of the highway’s six sections, giving the state the go-ahead to build the southernmost 68 miles of the 142-mile freeway that will connect Evansville and Indianapolis.

He said that stretch will be built by the end of 2012, three years ahead of schedule. Only the southernmost two miles just north of Evansville are open to traffic now.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will release a draft of the environmental impact statement for the next 27-mile section, from Crane to Bloomington, by July 3, Daniels said. He said construction on that section could begin next summer.
“Completion to Bloomington will be years ahead of what anyone originally thought could be accomplished,” Daniels said in a statement.

That prediction is “optimistic,” said Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington). He said residents of the left-leaning Bloomington area will vigorously question INDOT’s environmental data, forcing the agency to do more analysis and slow the pace of construction.
Inflation and other cost factors have caused the price of the 142-mile extension to climb to $3.1 billion from an original estimate of $1.7 billion when Indiana lobbied the federal government for approval in 2003. However, Daniels said estimates that the first 68 miles to Crane could be built for about $700 million have remained on target.

Daniels a year ago said the state could save money by narrowing the highway’s median or using a thinner layer of pavement for the initial construction. His announcement last week said INDOT had used “innovative techniques to design and build the road.”

Pierce said the administration’s upfront cost savings will result in higher maintenance down the road. “It looks like he’s going to build a substandard road and leave it to future administrations to fix it when it falls apart earlier than it should,” he said.

Pierce and another opponent of the project, Tom Tokarski of Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads, also predicted construction costs would rise once the economy recovers. “Talk is cheap and I-69 is not,” Tokarski said. “Where is the money going to come from and which projects around the state are going to be cut?”

Tennessee to inspect unregulated dams this year

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — The state will inspect unregulated dams this year, but one lawmaker says legislation to require permanent changes to their regulation would take more time.

The Jackson Sun reported Friday that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation agreed last week to inspect about 500 dams that are exempt from safety inspections under a unique state law, starting with about 70 that are considered a high hazard.
The dams qualify as a farm pond exemption in the 1973 Tennessee Safe Dams Act, meaning they are not open to the public and have fewer than three owners.

State Sen. Roy Herron (D-Dresden) said legislation to strengthen the state’s authority over the dams is unlikely this year because the legislative session is almost over, but that he will continue to work on the issue.

Iowa man loses hand in farm accident

TABOR, Iowa (AP) — Fremont County authorities are reporting a Tabor man has lost his hand in a farm-related accident.
According to Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, 49-year-old Michael Landon was working with a manure spreader on the Bud Whitehill farm when the accident occurred. Landon’s hand was severed after being caught in the drive shaft of the machine.

Aistrope said when the spreader became jammed, Landon reached in to clear the debris and his drive shaft grabbed his nylon jacket and pulled the hand in. Landon was first taken to the Tabor Fire Station, before being flown by LifeNet Helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where his arm was amputated just below the elbow. Authorities didn’t say which arm was affected by the accident.

Second Hoosier wins free groceries from farmers

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The second of two lucky Hoosiers received her grand prize in the Indiana Farmers Feed US “Free Groceries for a Year!” sweepstakes that concluded April 11.

The grand prize, $5,000 worth of groceries, was sponsored by Indiana’s family of farmers. This figure represents the average amount spent on groceries annually per person, according to the Food Marketing Institute. The second winner, whose name was drawn at random from more than 150,000 Indiana consumer registrations, is Sandy Ward of Dillsboro.

“I want to congratulate both Sandy, and last week’s announced winner, Vickie (Huntley of Columbia City), on their $5,000 grand prize,” said Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.

The program is supported by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Pork Producers, Indiana Beef Council, American Dairy Assoc. of Indiana, Indiana Sheep Assoc., Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana State Poultry Assoc. and Indiana Farm Bureau.