Illiana headed to governor's desk

INDIANAPOLIS | The Illiana Expressway bill is one signature away from becoming law after the Indiana Senate voted 42-0 on Tuesday to send Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels legislation authorizing the proposed toll road to be built as a public-private partnership.

Daniels told The Times he will sign it.

"It's no guarantee that we can effect the transaction and get the road built, but it clears the way," Daniels said. "I'm very excited. This is exactly what we've been advocating a long time."

Standing before the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, explained that the $1 billion Illiana proposal that left the Republican-controlled Senate in January came back from the Democratic-controlled House as a $5 billion infrastructure program, including a potential $4 billion private investment for Ohio River bridges.

He urged the Senate to accept the changes made by the House.

"This is the jobs bill of this session, no question about it," Charbonneau said.

"There are going to be jobs for a long time to come, and that's just the construction part of it because the economic development is going to come later on," he said.

The Illiana Expressway is a proposed toll road connecting Interstate 65 in Lake County with Interstate 55 near Joliet, Ill. The 10-mile long portion of the Illiana Expressway in Indiana is estimated to cost between $600 million and $1 billion depending on the route, and it could create about 30,000 new jobs, according to a state report.

Senate Bill 382 allows Indiana to begin looking for a private investor to build and operate the road. The state will own the land underneath the road.

As the vote board turned green with yes votes Tuesday, Charbonneau stood at his desk and smiled, before turning to shake hands with House proponents, state Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, and state Rep. Steven Stemler, D-Jeffersonville.

The Illiana proposal nearly died several times in the House when lawmakers from outside Northwest Indiana tried to wedge their issues into the legislation. Charbonneau said all those games and maneuvers made him eager to hear the gavel slam down in the Senate on Tuesday.

"Right up until the last, until I saw those green lights go on, my heart was pounding fast, and I wasn't breathing very well," Charbonneau said. "It's done.

"It's a great day for Indiana."