LOOGOOTEE – The Mid-States Corridor Project Team has added three variations in the Loogootee area.
The changes were made in response to community feedback following the announcement of Alternative P as the preferred alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that was released last April for the improved highway connection. That preferred alternative followed a path west of Loogootee. The three additional variations include one that uses the path of 231 through Loogootee and two variations east of Loogootee.
INDOT was asked to consider these variations to minimize the potential for negative impacts on Loogootee’s local economy. These variations have the potential to support enhanced economic activity in Martin County and were also proposed to reduce potential impacts on the Amish community’s travel patterns.
Alternative P remains the preferred alternative. End-to-end, impact ranges differ little for the new variations from those shown in the DEIS. These refinements in the Loogootee area provide flexibility to further address key input as the project develops. They do, however, require further and more detailed study to select a final alignment in that area.
Selection of a single variation at Loogootee requires detailed, localized economic studies, traffic studies, and public outreach surveys in Loogootee and Martin County. These activities are appropriate for conducting Tier 2 Studies.
A combined Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision or ROD is expected from the Federal Highway Administration in mid-2023. That Record of Decision will signify the end of the Tier 1 Study. A timetable for Tier 2 Studies is still being determined, but each Tier 2 Study is expected to take two to three years to complete. One of these studies will conduct a more detailed analysis to choose one of the versions in the Loogootee area. In the Tier 2 Studies, final alignments are identified within the corridor. This includes the actual right-of-way that is anticipated to be 200 to 500 feet wide.
A video illustrating the changes is posted on the project website at https://midstatescorridor.com/rpap/ Updated materials showing the additional variations are also available for review at several area locations including the Mid-States Project Office, INDOT offices in Vincennes and Indianapolis and libraries in Dale, Ferdinand, Huntingburg, Jasper, Dubois, Otwell, Shoals, Loogootee, and Bloomfield.
Comments on the variations can be made through a comment form at the Project Office, by mail, by email (info@midstatescorridor.com) or directly through the project website. To be included in the project record, please have your response returned by March 31, 2023.
