Along with stirring up the ire of Southern Indiana and Louisville residents, the long-delayed Ohio River Bridges Project is creating another headache.
Because of a need to find a funding source for the bridges project, all other road projects funded through Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency and included in its Horizon 2030 transportation plan and Transportation Improvement Plan, or TIP, will be frozen for at least a year.
“This is the last opportunity we have to amend the [long-range] plan or the TIP prior to the current long-range plan going into lapse,” said David Burton, transportation planner with KIPDA. “We are anticipating a 12- to 18-month lapse to the current transportation plan as a result of funding issues associated with the bridges project.”
The lapse in designating new funding for local transportation projects will allow a bi-state authority to work out the funding issues associated with the construction of the bridges project, but some Transportation Policy Committee board members still sought clarification at a Tuesday morning meeting.
“The timeline of the lapse is kind of pegged to the bridges project and trying to secure that funding mechanism,” asked Duane Murner, board member from Oldham County, Ky.
“Directly [pegged],” Burton responded.
The lapse, even though the committee knew it was coming, still caused frustration.
“We’re going to be held hostage. .. for a year to a year-and-a-half,” said committee Chairman J. Byron Chapman.
Having no timeframe on exactly how long the lapse will last also is unsettling for the board.
“Twelve to 18 months just seems like an excessive amount of time,” Murner said.
While modifications to the transportation plans will be halted, it will not stop projects already included in the plans from moving forward, and minor changes will still be allowed.
“We can still do some administrative modifications and if we can do those, we certainly will to try to keep projects moving as well as we can,” said Mary Lou Hauber, transportation planner with KIPDA.
But as far as designating entirely new projects, that will not happen.
“We won’t be able to make major changes; we won’t be able to add projects or to take projects out of the plan,” Burton said.
Additional hurdles could create an even longer wait before a funding source for the bridges project is found and changes are again allowed to be made to transportation plans.
Members of the bi-state authority still have not been named for the Indiana side of the authority and the three members named to the authority on the Kentucky side must still be ratified by its legislature.
The members of the Indiana authority are expected to be named soon and likely will hold a meeting in December, according to Gary Valentine, branch manager for preconstruction at the Kentucky State Transportation Cabinet, which is working with the bi-state authority.
Before the lapse is scheduled to begin Dec. 8 — as Tuesday’s committee meeting was KIPDA’s last chance to include a new project — some final changes were made to the transportation plans. For the projects that are already included in the plan that are seeking American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the proposals should meet the March 1 deadline.
“Indiana projects are moving along,” said Jim Ude, planning director for Indiana Department of Transportation’s Seymour district. “Everything is moving well to the best of my knowledge.”
The projects include reconstruction of a bridge for Ind. 403 over Silver Creek, construction of the Ohio River Greenway in New Albany along Water Street from East Eighth Street to the Silver Creek bridge as well as roadside maintenance along Interstates 64 and 65.
All projects were added to the TIP, while the Silver Creek bridge project received additional funding.
Clark County (The Evening News)
November 24, 2009
KIPDA tweaks plans as new road projects approach freeze
Agency entering lapse while Ohio River bridges funding is sought
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Jeffersonville homicide victim identified
“We’re still real early in the investigation, so we don’t have a lot of information yet,” he said.
Continued ... -
Firefighter: Refusal to work on mayor’s campaign led to demotion
Sharp was reassigned July 26 and removed as fire marshal, and on Aug. 4, his rank and pay was reduced from major to sergeant, according to the grievance.
Continued ... -
Teenager struck by vehicle after stopping to help stranded motorist
“That sounds exactly like something he would do. That’s the kind of person he was.”
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Jeffersonville agrees to free Wi-Fi
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Harvestown
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Body found in Clark County identified as missing woman
Following Keown’s disappearance, Petty was arrested for violating his Clark County probation by being arrested in Scott County for domestic battery against Keown.
Continued ... -
Care for diseases associated with Agent Orange expanded
Vietnam-era veterans will no longer have to prove a connection between those illnesses and their military service to receive health benefits.
Continued ... -
The price for a pool: Still no value established for Charlestown’s former swimming pool
According to minutes from Charlestown’s council meeting Feb. 4, 2008, then-GCCS Superintendent Tony Bennett presented the idea for trading the properties.
Continued ... - Clark county briefs for Sept. 9, 2010
- Sep 8, 2010
- Jeffersonville homicide victim identified
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Jeffersonville homicide victim identified
