Pelath 2

Pelath

   Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed a bill sponsored by State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-9th District, that will help start work on a highway improvement project that “holds the potential to generate as many as 30,000 good-paying construction jobs for Hoosiers,” according to a Pelath press release.

   Daniels signed the measure on March 18, 2010, that authorizes the Illiana Expressway, a new toll road projected to be built between Illinois and Interstate 65 in Lake County.

   “I always have had philosophical reservations about toll roads and private involvement in road construction,” said Pelath. “However, such concerns pale in comparison to worried faces of unemployed workers in our area. They need — and deserve — hope for work in the future.”

   With public resources dwindling for major transportation projects, Pelath said the measure would permit the highway to be constructed through a partnership between the state and a private investor.

   “Construction jobs are merely the project’s most obvious benefit,” Pelath said. “Just as important, the Illiana also will reduce congestion and transportation costs in our county. That will make LaPorte County more attractive to major employers and the good paying jobs that follow.”

   Pelath said provisions of the bill require environmental assessments, maintain strict eminent domain requirements, and complete a full economic appraisal of the project.

   He said he will also require “public hearings and transparency throughout development.”

   The legislation was carried in the Indiana Senate by State Senators Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, and Ed Charbonneau, D-Valparaiso.