A coalition of groups opposed to the state's planned extension of the I-69 highway says the Indiana Department of Transportation's expected budget shortfall over the next ten years is worse than reported.
Thomas Tokarski is president of Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads. He says INDOT sent a survey to state legislators in May seeking input to prioritize highway projects over the next 10 years. He says the survey dropped 100 projects listed in INDOT's Long Range Transportation Plan, and added 53 new projects without supplying cost estimates for some of the additions.
Tokarski says the I-69 extension is one of the projects INDOT added to the survey sent to legislators. Tokarski says INDOT's own data suggests its budget shortfall will likely be at least $4.4 billion over the next ten years, twice the amount reported publicly. He says the coalition has sent letters to state legislators asking them to eliminate the I-69 project due to its effect on the state's budget.