BY ELIZABETH EAKEN, Times of Northwest Indiana
eeaken@nwitimes.com
HAMMOND | Gov. Mitch Daniels is confident economic development will land in Northwest Indiana because of an expanded and improved Gary/Chicago International Airport. He said it can be done with the help of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority and an Indiana Toll Road lease agreement.
Without stepping on any toes, Daniels on Thursday said it's up to the leaders of Northwest Indiana to decide what the future holds for the airport, but he has a vision of Chicago's third airport that doesn't include Peotone, the south suburban airport location favored by some in Illinois.
"I'm kind of hoping that excellent board (the RDA) will say, 'We can't do everything at once, (so) let's move that to the top of the list,'" the governor said Thursday night at the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce's monthly after-hours gathering at Horseshoe Casino.
Setting forth ideas for fast-track economic development across the state, Daniels said he sees a deal to lease the Toll Road as a steady method for funding the RDA and airport development. He said he was anxious to see bidding results, due in two-weeks, on proposals to lease the Toll Road to private companies.
The lease would require legislative approval.
Although leasing out the Toll Road would likely mean an increase in tolls, Daniels said with two-thirds of the tolls paid coming from out-of-state drivers, financing the future of the state would come from his favorite source: "other people's money."
The governor said if the bids for leasing the Toll Road aren't much more than what the state can make operating the road itself, he would give up the notion.
If the lease deal does work out, Daniels said Northwest Indiana -- Lake County in particular -- would stand to benefit the most, with a possible $350 million financial windfall.
"This is where I'm looking for sustaining long-term funding for the RDA," Daniels said.
Daniels said the state has seen interest in leasing the Toll Road from groups overseas and some based in the United States.
"These companies are spending serious money to have a look at this," Daniels said.
The governor also said he is setting a two-year maximum time frame for eliminating the state's road construction debt without entertaining a gas tax increase.
Instead, he is looking for funds from the Toll Road lease.