The hopeless idealist in me sees this story and thinks, "Gosh, how great it is to see a politician fighting for the needs of his district." And then the cynic in me shouts, "Well, at least some Republicans are beginning to realize that a little political distance between them and Mitch Daniels is probably a good thing going into next year's election!"
Soliday expressed his concerns to state Transportation Commissioner Karl Browning in a letter on Monday, and went public with his complaints after being frustrated by INDOT's response. Soliday said he worries an initial Illiana study slanted toward a private-run tollway would poison public support for the road.
The request for proposals INDOT put out in June appears to heavily favor the so-called public-private partnership highway model. The agency sought to diffuse that concern Friday by releasing a Q & A form that informed prospective consultants "INDOT is intending to determine the overall feasibility of developing the Illiana Expressway as a tolled facility, minimizing or entirely eliminating the need for state funding contributions."
The disclosure further angered Soliday, who said he is prepared to pursue legal opinions from the state inspector general and the attorney general, as well as a potential lawsuit.
"That's very nice of (INDOT) to decide that," Soliday said. "However, there's a law. Laws are things that are voted on by the House and Senate and they're signed by the governor. And complying with those laws is not optional.'
A tip o' the hat for TDW for posting on this yesterday, and this morning brings print coverage (via John Byrne of the Gary Post-Tribune) of Rep. Ed Soliday's (R) letter to the Indiana Department of Transportation in which he requests that they give full consideration to all funding options for extending the Illiana Expressway. You know, even to those plans that don't require the sale of the expressway to a private company.
After learning the Indiana Department of Transportation is not exploring funding options for the controversial roadway other than a public-private partnership, Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, sent a letter Thursday to INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning.
"In my opinion as the author of the provision, this directly contradicts the spirit and intention of the legislation," Soliday wrote.
Senate Enrolled Act 105 mandated INDOT study the feasibility and projected route of the western leg of the Illiana, from Interstate 57 in Illinois to Interstate 65.
Soliday said the act directs INDOT to consider all funding options to pay for the project.
But he said INDOT's request for proposals from firms to conduct the study only mentions the public-private funding option.
Governor Daniels has a vision for our state infrastructure that has no place for the freeway of yesteryear. While he appears to be wobbling under political pressure on the issue of extending a publicly-owned I-69 toward Evansville, there can be no denying that his plans for our road system doesn't include the addition of any new free, public highways. As Rep. Soliday knows, this isn't exactly a popular idea with, you know, the ordinary Hoosiers who drive on these roads every day. That being said, does anyone really expect this administration to actually reconsider based on something as petty as public opinion?
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