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Daniels: I-69 stretch finished by 2012

Posted by Rachel Folz - email
By Brandon Bartlett - bio | email | Twitter

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said I-69 is on the fast track to be completed by 2012.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says the first three sections will be completed three years ahead of schedule.

"The sooner that road is there, the sooner we begin to get the real payoff, which is jobs and economic possibilities," Daniels said.

He hopes those possibilities are just around the corner.

"Our intention is to be to Crane by the end of 2012," Daniels said.

Daniels believes the road from Evansville to Crane, which is south of Bloomington, can be built faster and cheaper.

Using what he calls some "creative methods".

The medians might be more narrow and instead of concrete, there might be cables.

The pavement might not be built to federal thickness standards.

Instead, crews would pour enough to handle traffic for the next 20 years.

Then, at that time, Daniels says another layer could be added.

"We've had those in some of our regular projects and we've seen them be quite successful and a huge cost savings," INDOT spokesperson Cher Goodwin told our cameras.

"It doesn't have to look like every other interstate," Daniels said. "What we need and what our workers need is a road that's there and in reality as fast as possible."

It could also mean there might be come cuts to some planned interchanges.

The governor says all of this could be done within the interstate's $700 million budget.

Click here to see where Crane is located.

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