INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana House voted 91-5 on Tuesday to have the state study an Illiana Expressway from Interstate 57 in Illinois to Interstate 65 in Lake County.

State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, proposed the study last week as an amendment to Senate Bill 105. He acknowledges the initiative could prove unpopular with some in the region, but said it's crucial to evaluate future transportation needs.

"When the Soviet Union collapsed, they could produce goods but couldn't get them to market," Soliday said. "The key to a thriving economy is transportation infrastructure."

State Rep. Don Lehe said some of his southern Lake County constituents remain wary of the proposed highway, but he was comfortable endorsing a study.

"I'm confident that's all it's going to be," said Lehe, a Republican from Brookston. "Nothing can happen until the study comes back."

Other proposals to study the development of regional mass transit systems across the state are included in SB 105, which appears headed to a joint House-Senate conference committee.

Soliday's portion of the legislation would give the Indiana Department of Transportation two years to evaluate the need for an Illiana Expressway and report back to a bipartisan committee of legislators.

The study would touch on several issues, including acquisition requirements, construction costs, and effects the highway would have on surrounding communities and on traffic congestion in the region. The state could study building the road as a tollway, but could not consider private financing.