Some in county fear changes from new I-69 route

Thursday, January 09, 2003

By SCOTT HALL and MICHELE HOLTKAMP Daily Journal staff writers, shall@thejournalnet.com

Jan. 10, 2003

Johnson County residents and leaders offered a mixed reaction to Thursday’s news that the recommended Interstate 69 route passes through White River Township.

Although an interstate highway with interchanges could be an economic boon in the big picture, it also could isolate and threaten existing businesses and homes along State Road 37. About six miles of the state highway crosses through the northwest corner of Johnson County.

“There’s a lot of ifs about it,” said Richard Fulkerson, co-owner of a Big O Tires shop near State Road 37 and Fairview Road. “Are they going to leave all the intersections alone, or are they going to cut some of them off?”

Such questions may not be settled for years, as the I-69 proposal works its way through the federal bureaucracy and the lingering threat of court challenges by opponents of the new-terrain route.

“It’s going to be a lengthy process from here on out,” said John Price, Johnson County Highway Department director.

Price said he would expect the proposed route to include at least one if not two interchanges in White River Township. The likely locations are County Line Road, followed by Smith Valley Road and State/County Road 144. “If we got 144 and County Line, that would be nice, because you’d have an outlet at the north and south ends,” he said.

He noted that local leaders seeking a new east-west route through the county had identified the 144/37 intersection as a good point for the route to leave the county, linking with anticipated road improvements in Morgan County.

Chris Kinnett, executive director of the Johnson County Development Corp., said I-69 interchanges would be a great advantage in attracting new industrial and commercial activity to the area. “That can be nothing but a positive as far as continuing our population growth, as well as our ability to offer transportation options to potential prospects,” said Kinnett, whose job is to attract new business to the area.

Because the Johnson County portion of the proposed I-69 route follows an existing highway, Price said, the environmental impact that has generated fierce opposition in southern Indiana would be less of an issue here. Most businesses and homes along State Road 37 are far enough from the highway that they probably could remain in place even if an interstate went through, he said. “There’s a lot of unknowns at this point, but I think as far as farmland or businesses or homes being affected in Johnson County, it’s going to be minimal compared to what it is in a lot of other counties,” Price said. “I would think it would probably help us more than hurt us.”

Fulkerson is less optimistic. The tire shop he and his son own is on Western Boulevard, a short commercial drive off Fairview Road just east of State Road 37. A fenced-off interstate with no ramps at Fairview Road would render his current highway visibility useless. If the highway access were lost completely, most traffic would have no reason to come that far west on Fairview Road. “That would put us on a dead-end road,” Fulkerson said. “That’s going to ruin my business.”

Some homeowners also are leery of the proposed route. State planners have estimated the route would dislocate about 400 homes, though a spokeswoman said Thursday she did not know how many of those homes, if any, were in Johnson County. Resident Edna Farmer doesn’t need the state’s official count to know. State Road 37 is only about 100 yards from her home. “I feel like, if it goes through here, I’m going to be left homeless,” said Farmer, who with her husband, John, has lived for 43 years at Travis Road and State Road 37.

She predicted that her home would be torn down to make way for the interstate or that traffic would be so close that she could no longer live there. She doesn’t expect the government to pay enough for her property to find an equally suitable home.

The potential number of homes, businesses and farm or wildlife areas affected by the new interstate was determined using flyover counts and aerial photographs, said Jessica Stevens, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Transportation. State officials hope the Federal Highway Administration issues a decision on the state’s selected route by fall. The route would then be sliced into six or seven segments for individual environmental studies, Stevens said. Transportation officials would walk each segment and plan for minimal environmental impact.

A local real estate broker doubted the new roadway would change the commuting patterns of township residents. “We’re still just as likely to use (State Road) 135 or Bluff (Road) for 465 access, unless we’re going to Evansville,” said Lou Zickler of the realty company Zickler Associates. However, Zickler said, the location of any I-69 interchanges will weigh heavily on future development patterns in the area.

Truckers using the so-called NAFTA Superhighway to connect from Canada to Mexico aren’t likely to look for retail shopping centers as they pass through Johnson County, Zickler said. And the Interstate 465/State Road 37 interchange has enough truck stops and convenience stores that Johnson County doesn’t need more. But truck drivers would pull over to pick up shipments from new distribution centers or industries that could develop along the interstate. That kind of development could ease the tax burden for residents and reduce financial strain for the Center Grove school system, Zickler said. He urged county officials to develop new land use regulations for the State Road 37 corridor to anticipate changes the new interstate could bring. County officials should devise a vision for how residents want to see that land developed, Zickler said.

County planning director David Hirschle said little specific planning had taken place yet, but the work would begin in earnest once the final route is approved.

Content © 2003 The Daily Journal, Johnson County, Indiana