INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana lawmakers have approved a bill that would lift restrictions on where the final leg of the Interstate 69 extension can be built.
The Indiana Senate voted 31-19 Monday in favor of the measure, which now heads to Gov. Mike Pence for consideration. Through a spokeswoman, Pence would not say if he would sign it.
The bill would revoke a 2004 law that prohibits the highway from passing through southern Marion County’s Perry Township. The Indianapolis Star reports (https://indy.st/1FQ8RZe) opponents, including lawmakers from that area, say allowing that route would cause traffic troubles and hurt businesses along the Indiana 37 corridor.
Supporters say they want state highway officials to have the option of using that corridor for the I-69 section between Martinsville and Interstate 465, but that they aren’t pushing the Indiana Department of Transportation to pick that route. The agency is looking at several possible routes and won’t choose one for more than three years.
The stretch of highway under dispute is the sixth and last leg of the half-built 142-mile I-69 extension between Evansville and Indianapolis. The first three segments are done. The fourth and fifth sections through Bloomington to Martinsville are under construction.
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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, https://www.indystar.com
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