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Southern Indiana officials celebrate I-69 extension work

Associated Press
April 18, 2012
Keywords
I-69, Interstates/Highways, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
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Some southern Indiana officials celebrated the start of construction work on a hotly-contested section of the Interstate 69 extension project.

Several government and business leaders participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the 27-mile stretch of I-69 from near the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center to Indiana 37 south of Bloomington.

Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce president Christy Gillenwater told The Herald-Times that she believes the highway will help add jobs to the area and can't wait for it to reach Bloomington.

Construction is under way on the highway from Evansville to near Crane, but environmentalists have continued fighting the route picked near Bloomington.

Opponent Thomas Tokarski said protesters missed the groundbreaking ceremony because highway officials kept it quiet to give a false impression about public support.

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  • FINALLY
    boilers4everOctober 4, 2012 5:52 PM
    Larry is absolutely right. With this comes a better infrastructure for both commerce, industry, tourism and ease of travel through the state. I live in Southern Indiana and support this forward thinking progress albeit late
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  • Keep on building!
    RalphApril 21, 2012 8:49 AM
    This is great news. I always enjoy seeing how many negative comments are always posted regarding I69. Try driving down SR67 and see all the struggling small towns. I69 will bring distribution parks creating thousands of jobs. Stop worring about the costs and be thankful our state is progressing ahead for the stability of our future. They can't build this fast enough!!
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  • I-69 Extension
    PattiApril 18, 2012 4:02 PM
    The only reason this got pushed through is because money talks. As usual, Gov. Daniels completely ignored all critics and opinions which were opposed to his own. He never hears anything he doesn't want to hear.
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  • out of date
    larryApril 18, 2012 3:15 PM
    Travel the country, Indiana is so far behind in infrastructure. If this I-69 corridor was finished, the state would be the hub of transportation between Canada and Mexico with warehousing, etc throughout the state. why the delay???
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  • BLIGHT
    UrbanDwellerApril 18, 2012 1:12 PM
    Great more miles of billboard blight in Southern Indiana. Look at Seymour and other towns to see the future.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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    1. First, the Athenaeum is going to have to get past the hurdle with the Lockerbie residents and the agreement that the parcel would be residential. Second, and in my opinion, this prime piece of property should include parking, PLUS, a black box theater(s), some market rate and affordable artist housing and a plan to renovate and reconfigure the second story theater. I would negotiate to add the DeHaan property surface parking lot into the development mix, place a one story surface parking garage on the DeHaan lot on the street level (for the Dehaan tenants use during the daytime) and add a second story to the garage that would become an addition to the current second story theater and then change the direction of the theater by moving the stage across the alley and on top of the DeHaan lot parking. You can add all the stage elements that are currently missing from the Athenaeum stage to make it more attractive for use by Ballet, Opera and traveling productions. Plus, the theater changes would probably help solve some of the soundproofing issues. Alas,it does not seem to be a part of the strategic plan to conduct a study to determine best use of the property. Seems like the current plan is a quick and easy move that ignores the property best use/potential and any strategic property planning for the effect on future generations.

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