Comments made at Section 4 Public Hearing 16-June-05 Kathy Crouch, Greene County Commissioner I have been educating myself about this Highway for 4 years. Do I believe this highway is the Economic Savior of Greene County and the surrounding areas? No, I do not. Do I believe Greene County will get 4 interchanges? Absolutely not. We will get 2. Why? Because we already know that INDOT has no money. Greene County Elected Officials all signed letters of support for an additional interchange in the northeast section of our county. Now we are hearing that the interchange will be in Monroe County. I’m not surprised- Greene County has received no benefit whatsoever from this wasteful use of taxpayer dollars. Do I believe that we have the funds to build this highway between now and 2025? Absolutely not – we are broke –The Governor knows we’re broke. Do I believe that this highway will cost $3.1 BILLION? Absolutely not – It will cost much more. Do I believe that the State will try to fund this fleece-job with a Gas Tax Increase? Absolutely. Do I believe that this highway will compromise our Nation’s War Fighter and Homeland Security? Absolutely. Don’t use our money to pave a Terrorists red carpet to our insulated inland ammo depot. This project will cost each and every one of us. We will pay at the gas pump, we will pay with eliminated INDOT projects, and we are already paying with reduced funding for local roads. Our State Highways and Bridges are known to be in emergency disrepair. INDOT wants to talk about liability – the liability rests with our existing highway system. The Governor has described INDOT as "An Agency plagued by excessive spending on consultants and non-construction related activities". And as "having given priority to road & bridge projects based on politics rather than economic impact on the state". New Terrain I-69 represents the longest-lived politically motivated project in the State. The long-term negative economic impact is staggering. The Return on Investment is non-existent. Governor – Commissioner Sharpe – Stop wasting our money Stop wasting our time Stop disrupting our lives Send these consultants and engineers home now and save $900 M. Fix the Roads we have.