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While the exact path of Interstate 69 from Martinsville to Indianapolis is still unknown, two state senators are adamant that it won’t be going through Perry Township in Marion County. They’ve got legislation to back them up, but the Indiana Department of Transportationisn’t exactly ruling out the possibility of following the path of Ind. 37, through the township, all the way to I-465.
In a deal to get approval for Gov. Mitch Daniels’ controversial Major Moves transportation bill in 2006, a clause was added that prevented the interstate from passing through Perry Township. State Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, whose District 32 includes a portion of the township, said she was responsible for getting that language in the bill. She said the reason, contrary to some rumors, is not to keep it from going through former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar’s farm.
“No,” she said. “I think it’s out in Decatur Township. Unless he has property I don’t know about.”
The real reason, she said, is because upgrading the state highway to interstate standards would require taking out a large number of homes and businesses.
“It would cost the state lots of money when there’s farm ground to the west,” she said.
State Sen. Brent Waltz, R-Indianapolis, whose District 36 also includes a portion of Perry Township, said following the path of Ind. 37 would result in an estimated loss of $300 million in assessed property and anywhere from 200 to 400 jobs would be displaced. Some of those might come back, he said, but some might not.
The upgrade would also cause disruptions for Perry Township Schools. Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School is within half a mile of Ind. 37 and would likely have to move, Waltz said. There are also school buses that cross over Ind. 37 on east/west roads. With a limited access interstate, there’s no guarantee which roads would have overpasses, he said.
Like Miller, he thought a route to the west makes sense. A western route would not only pass through Decatur Township, which is less developed than Perry — with a population of about 32,000 as opposed to about 109,000, according to the 2010 Census — but it would also move the new interstate closer to the Indianapolis International Airport, a FedEx hub and the AmeriPlex industrial park.
Despite the legislation and the reasoning behind it, INDOT doesn’t seem to be ruling out following the path of Ind. 37.
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