INDIANAPOLIS | A committee approved legislation Monday to authorize the Illiana Expressway, but the measure is likely to be changed again before a final House vote.
"We're in the first step in a long process," said state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. "We'll probably offer some second reading amendments."
Soliday did not specify everything he'd like changed, but said a provision of the committee-revised legislation that requires public hearings in the most populous city in a county, as opposed to the county seat, ought to be altered.
The House Roads and Transportation Committee voted 10-2 Monday to send an amended version of Senate Bill 382 to the full House. Any representative can propose amendments now that the measure has reached the floor.
Before forwarding the legislation, the committee made several changes to the proposal, which originally was approved by the Senate 48-0.
Among the changes, an economic impact study would have to be conducted before the state begins to solicit bids for the proposed toll road connecting Interstate 65 in Lake County with Interstate 55 in Illinois. Public hearings would have to be held before and after an operator is selected.
State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, also persuaded the committee to add a requirement that the Indiana Department of Transportation negotiate in good faith with the selected bidder to protect the economic interests of local governments. Local government approval of the project would not be required.
"It was my goal to have any changes be very narrow, to be very modest. I think there are a few things we need to address that are common sense," Pelath said. "There's no hidden agenda here."
Republican lawmakers said they were concerned the wording of the amendments was too broad and not defined in law. As a result, there could be lawsuits, which would slow down the Illiana project, Soliday said.
"What I don't want to see us do is open venues for litigation," Soliday said. "Then we create jobs in a profession that we may not be as interested in having as others."
The 10-mile Indiana portion of the Illiana Expressway is expected to create thousands of construction jobs when work begins. Senate Bill 382 authorizes the Indiana Department of Transportation to begin the process of finding a private builder/operator for the proposed expressway, which is intended to relieve congestion on the Borman Expressway.
If the House eventually approves the legislation, it will then go to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences in the separately approved proposals.
"That's where the final language will be put together," said state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso. "Hopefully we will have a bill that most everybody can agree on that we can pass this session."
March 14 is the adjournment deadline for the General Assembly.
