13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Governor proposes 75-mile tollway bypass of Marion County

Governor proposes 75-mile tollway bypass of Marion County

Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Governor Mitch Daniels wants to build a 75-mile long tollway around Indianapolis. He wants a public-private partnership to build the outer-belt tollway. It would run through six counties and connect several interstates from I-69 in Hamilton County to I-70 at Indianapolis International Airport.

The hope is the "Indiana Commerce Connector" will attract new jobs, create six new job zones, alleviate traffic in high traffic areas and bring the communities all the road closer to the national economy, all without raising taxes.

The connection points for the proposed tollway - ambitiously dubbed the Indiana Commerce Connector - include Pendleton, Greenfield, Shelbyville, Franklin and Martinsville, as well as the airport.

"This would be a toll road built with my favorite revenue source- other people's money," said Daniels.

One part of the idea is to reduce congestion in problem areas. "We already have congestion at Fishers and other places We will chase our tail; my successors will chase their tails if we continue to dump traffic into that loop," said Daniels.

"This will help our traffic flow I believe and get some of the traffic out of our communities and actually on the highways and interstates where it belongs," said Mayor Scott Ferguson, Shelbyville.

But it would also greatly help cities like Anderson and companies like Nestle. "It will help our partners to the north in Anderson with logistics. They will not be deterred when they come south and get caught up in the quagmire of 69 where it meets 465 and it will be a direct route through to continue the commerce on the new 69 so as a regional aspect it is just tremendous," said Christine Altman, Hamilton County commissioner.

The plan would not only eases traffic on 465 and I-69 to the north. It will also create opportunity for other cities along the way.

"It's going to really accelerate the opportunity to grow and proper and we are all going to benefit from that - small and large towns alike," said Don Henderson, Pendleton Town Council.

"It can open a whole new avenue for Johnson County for economic development," said RJ McConnell, Johnson County.

If the governor has his way the toll road P3 agreement already approved for I-69 would be transferred to the Commerce Connector, allowing the entire road to be constructed in ten years by using private money to construct the proposed new road. Daniels would be able to earmark that money for the completion of a toll-free I-69.

"Many Democrats, by the way, at least used the argument in voting no that they would like I-69 to be toll-free and now it would be," said Daniels.

Daniels believes while the I-69 route will remain the same south of Indianapolis, the commerce connector will ease the traffic flow of the proposed road allowing for the construction of fewer lanes.

See a map of the proposed route