Opponents of Indiana’s proposed Mid-States Corridor said a new law could give lawmakers more control over whether the highway project proceeds.
During a meeting this week with the Property Rights Alliance, a group opposed to the project, State Sen. Ryan Mishler said language included in the law would require large projects to go before the State Budget Committee before money could be released.
Mishler chairs the Senate Appropriations and State Budget Committees.
“Any project in one county, $250 million or greater, has to go through Budget Committee,” Mishler told the group. “Nothing can move forward unless the Budget Committee reviewed it first.”
The Mid-States Corridor is a proposed 54-mile highway project connecting Interstate 64 to Interstate 69 through southern Indiana. It includes bypasses of Jasper and Huntingburg.
Supporters say it would improve economic development and transportation access, while opponents argue it would damage farmland, disrupt communities and alter the character of the region.
During the meeting, members of the Property Rights Alliance raised concerns that the state could still move money through regional development authorities, or RDAs, to continue the project.
Mishler said he does not see a clear path for that to happen without legislative involvement.
“I’m just a little confused at the threat from INDOT that they can just do this,” he said. “I’ve talked to three people today and they agree with me, they don’t see how that’s possible.”
Mishler also said the language in the law was intentionally designed to create more legislative oversight for large projects.
“The reason that we put some of this language in and have it go to the legislature is so we could slow it down,” he said. “Because it doesn’t sound like too many people want this.”
The senator said he is continuing to review how RDAs could potentially be used for the project, but he added that legislative leaders share concerns about transparency and oversight.
The Property Rights Alliance has spent years opposing the Mid-States Corridor, particularly in Dubois County, where residents and landowners say the road would affect farms, homes and natural areas.
