By Nate Smith
Washington Times-Herald
WASHINGTON — The ground for Sections 2 and 3 of I-69 was broken at the Daviess County Airport on Wednesday. It was an event that Jim Newlin, 91, has been anticipating for 40 years. With Newlin sitting front row, local and state officials started the dedication of the three-year construction project. When finished, the $700 million road will connect Evansville with NSWC Crane, with plans to further build the road to Bloomington. “This is the largest continuous construction project in the country,” said Sam Sarvis, state Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner of Major Projects. Although there were no gold shovels at the airport, construction on the two sections has already begun with construction of overpasses on country roads. Section 2 is from Oakland City up to U.S. 50 and Section 3 is from U.S. 50 to U.S. 231 near NSWC Crane. Washington Mayor Larry Haag called Wednesday’s groundbreaking “a great day for the citizens of Washington and Daviess County.” “It’s been years and years that I-69 has been in the planning stages,” Haag said. Haag said he understood those who are against the highway’s construction, but he said the need for I-69 is there and it will be a boon for local business. “We need good-paying jobs. We need safe highways to travel,” Haag said. “We need to know that when our family and friends leave home that the highway they are on is going to be safe. “(I-69) will bring growth to Daviess County like we haven’t seen in the past 100 years.” District 63 State Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) said I-69 will keep NSWC Crane here in Indiana. He said working with other legislators as part of the General Assembly’s Crane Caucus will make sure this highway will be built. “We look at I-69 as the artery to the defense industry and growth in southwest Indiana,” Messmer said. “I-69 will be the largest economic development tool in southwest Indiana in our lifetime, no question about it.” Messmer thanked INDOT and Gov. Mitch Daniels for helping to start I-69 ahead of schedule and keeping Crane open. Formal construction will begin on Aug. 1. Chris Hanson with White Construction said its crews have already been in the area, starting preconstruction work. “We have been well received by your vendors and your community as a whole,” Hanson said. “We look forward to being in your county for the next three years and hiring your locals and working with your vendors and suppliers.” INDOT Commissioner Michael B. Cline said the project was a “result of a vision” that many had. “We had a timeline to get this project completed by 2015,” Cline said. “As we got to working on it, the governor asked us what we could, and we came up with a plan to get this done three years ahead of schedule.” Sarvis, who has been at the head of the Vincennes District office and now the I-69 head, said Wednesday’s groundbreaking was “a great start on what we are doing.” The first $58.5 million contract was awarded to T.J. Lambrecht Construction and F.H. Paschen for the first three miles of Section 3. According to INDOT, two contracts have been let that have come in 30 percent under budget. Sarvis said several more contracts will be awarded soon. “We have nine more contracts in the next seven months,” Sarvis said. “We are poised to have 67 miles of new terrain highway under construction by the spring.” INDOT will start construction of the next section from Crane to Bloomington next summer. An environmental impact statement is expected soon. Many of the speakers thanked Newlin as he sat listening at the groundbreaking. After, he said “it’s great.” “It has taken 40 years and seven governors to get to this day,” Newlin said. As he was 91, he was asked if he thought he would ever see this day. “Hope springs eternal,” Newlin joked.
