INDIANAPOLIS — A drive along the new sections of Interstate 69 is full of hills, curves, classic Indiana country scenery and not much else. Now that Evansville is connected with Bloomington, and the final route to Indianapolis is planned, where are the businesses? Where are the gas stations, the hotels, the fast food?
Those are questions Todd Mosby, president and CEO of the Gibson County Economic Development Corp., hears all the time.
"If I've heard that question once, I've heard it a thousand times," Mosby said. "Heaven forbid people have to drive two miles off the highway to get gas."
Mosby said there was a false sentiment going around that once the new sections of Interstate 69 were done, economic development would quickly follow. He said there has been an immediate impact on travel but not on industry, at least not yet.
"You can't just put an industrial park down there (at the Oakland City exit)," Mosby said. "There are a lot of moving parts."
Just having a federal highway running by an exit doesn't mean businesses are lining up to locate there. For more rural counties especially, the onus is on them to create a place businesses want to move to by building infrastructure. Both Gibson County and Pike County are starting the planning process for infrastructure development out on the Interstate 69 exits.
Ashley Willis, executive director of the Pike County Economic Growth and Development Council, said they are hoping to finalize plans for an industrial access road at the Petersburg exit. Willis said the road would be visible from the highway and should entice bigger businesses to consider Pike County. They are hoping to get approval from the county council and INDOT by the summer.
"We want to be as marketable as we can," Willis said. "This is an exciting time for us and we want to make sure we are shovel ready."
Over in Gibson County, that means at least getting sewer and water lines out to the exit. Mosby said at minimum, businesses need those two resources in order to think about locating there. He said the county has already completed a study and is now doing survey work. The county is looking at paying $30 million $40 million over the next few years to get infrastructure out to the highway, Mosby said.
Mosby lobbied for fiber-optic cables to be run along the highway as another attraction to businesses but said that was scrapped because of the expense.
Other counties have been a little more proactive as far as getting ready for the highway expansion. Daviess County started construction on a shell facility last year and should be wrapping up in May. Economic Director Ron Arnold said the facility can be used by several different businesses for a variety of purposes. He said the location — the facility will be visible from the highway — was determined by Interstate 69 and a desire to capture new business. The building, and a $2 million add-on to make the facility accessible to railways, were funded through an economic development income tax established several years ago for the purpose of paying for services to make the county more attractive to businesses. A growing population, one of just 12 in Indiana, has helped bring in more money to the income tax fund.
"We've been fortunate in Daviess County," Arnold said. "We've seen population growth over the last few years and we have local politicians who have been proactive."
Since Section 4 of Interstate 69 from Crane to Bloomington opened in December, Arnold said inquiries into the facility have gone up. The location could become even more desirable once the final two legs of the highway, from Bloomington to Martinsville and finally from Martinsville to Indianapolis, are complete.
Perhaps the most notable development along the highway is at exit 87 in northern Daviess County. That exit provides access for the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, WestGate Academy and the small town of Odon. The naval base was there long before the highway but development has picked up more quickly there than other exits. Despite the training grounds and base, however, it is still a bit of a drive to Odon and its small number of gas stations and restaurants. Development immediately off the exit is still sparse.
Construction on Section 5, Bloomington to Martinsville, is currently underway. The final leg to Indianapolis is still in the developmental stage, although INDOT has determined Indiana 37 will be the route.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. estimates the final leg alone will add $2.4 billion to the state's GDP. That projection is over a 20-year period, showing just how long it can take for economic development to make a full impact.
There isn't a timetable for construction starting on Section 6 and it could easily be five to 10 years before the highway is complete.
Locals are hoping to see growth before that. Willis said she hopes to see change at the Petersburg exit within the next two to three years, once some of the changes they'd like to see are in place. She said even with an attraction like Interstate 69, it can be difficult to find the right partnership.
"We've had some interest but the puzzle pieces just haven't quite fit yet," Willis said.
Mosby said a business right at the interchange is the key to seeing more development. He said once a business is established, then highway travelers will start seeing things like gas stations and restaurants right off of the exit.