Hoosier Toll Road Dilema

[tulip]

After watching and viewing the taped portions of Daniels swing through Northern Indiana I am left wondering what exactly is it that Hoosiers value? If Daniels Major Moves Highway Plan goes through how will it affect toll road employees & truck traffic on U.S. 20? Daniels was kind enough to share that each of the 550 employees working for the toll road would get INTERVIEWS. Give me a break. Even if these people are hired by the Spanish/Australian Co. their pensions are all but history. People who have spent their lives working for the state of Indiana will lose it all. I gather that would be a plus to the governor who is looking to balance Indiana's debts. Daniels also said that they cut 300 state employee jobs to balance Indiana's debts. What this tells me is that there won't be any openings for the 550 displaced toll road workers in the state of Indiana.

On truck traffic on U.S. 20. More and more trucks are getting off the toll road in Ohio just before they hit the Hoosier state line. U.S. 20 is getting torn apart as it is now. With dozens of trucks rumbling through Northern Indiana's small towns every few minutes Northen Hoosiers feel abandoned by the rest of the state. I guess they value money over their neighbors welfare. Daniels has proposed to put in a weigh station just across the Buckeye border. Perhaps this would deter truck traffic........but it may not be enough. The Major Moves contract does not allow for ANY new or improved highways to be built that would compete with the toll road. That diminishes the hopes of Northern Hoosiers of truck routes added to move the truck traffic around our communities instead of through them.

All we can hope for is that our state senators will demand and get answers to these two major draw backs on this venture.

I know one thing for sure........there will be 850 Hoosiers not voting for Daniels next term.

[SpeedwayDemocrat]

1. And why are the truck weigh stations never open?

I've never seen one of our existing truck weigh stations open for business. Why not? Don't they draw additional revenues from the truckers? We're doing such a smashing job of NOT manning these existing plazas; can't wait to see how much we get screwed for over this toll road mess...

[salin]

2. many more than 850 folks

many people are *not* buying the snake oil that Mitch is trying to sell.

[LisaLynne]

3. It's been sickening how one-sided the coverage of this issue has been.

I was just posting in another forum about how money is all these people understand. My Man Mitch's only answer is "we're getting money" as though that's enough to end all discussion. As long as money is involved, it's all good. How stupid is that? We're selling off part of our state. Maybe there are reasons to do it, but just that we'll get paid for it is not enough. Even a freeper co-worker of mine is upset about it. He can't find out why it's being done or what the pros and cons are. Yeah, exactly.

[hippiechick]

4. Yes, let's sell the ports to UAE, the toll road to the Saudi's ...

... and when the rest of the world gets good n' pissed off at us for any of a variety of reasons, let's sit back and watch them SHUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY DOWN.

Horse 'n buggy, anyone? :shrug: