Fetter: "Are the recent changes to the Ohio River Bridges Project good for Southern Indiana?"

Whatever happened to Benny Breeze, anyway?

Thoughts on Ohio River Bridges reductions, a letter to the editor by Paul Fetter

Are the recent changes to the Ohio River Bridges Project good for Southern Indiana?

That is yet to be seen.

There is much speculation out there as to whether the recent dividing of the project’s financing is the first step into splitting the project. Anything is possible.

Is splitting the project good for Southern Indiana? If the project is split, the east-end bridge is built and Kentucky does not come to agreement on building the downtown bridge, then yes.

However, next month if the Kentucky General Assembly comes to agreement on funding its portion the project with tolling being used for its deficiency, this project in its current form is what we will get. That will include tolling on Interstate 65 (not on Spaghetti Junction).

This is unfair. Hoosier commuters will be paying tolls on bridges. Many Louisville commuters will use Spaghetti Junction (new infrastructure), but not the bridges; thus, they will not pay any tolls. Hoosier tolls collected on I-65 will be paying for Spaghetti Junction, while Kentucky residents will be using it for free.

This is also not good for Southern Indiana retail and tourism businesses. These industries will incur additional expense to do business in Southern Indiana, and will also have less consumer dollars traveling to the Sunny Side.

It is important to keep in mind when hearing the “pro-project” leaders talking about $1 tolls that the low rate is one way and only applies to frequent users. A frequent user is someone that uses the bridges 50 times in 45 days.

The nonfrequent users will pay about twice the amount. Both will pay other costs and administration charges, which are never mentioned. There is an annual renewal for toll collectors of about $50. There will be administration charges added to billings. The amount is yet to be determined, but nationally the average is more than $5.

The administration of collection and other costs of tolling will be more expensive than the actual toll. When you divide the cost of the toll collector per use and add administration charges, a round trip for a nonfrequent user will cost between $5 and $10.

Anyone in retail or travel business from Southern Indiana knows the difficulties in attracting Kentucky consumer dollars here. If the toll rate was zero locally, but participating in a process to make it free was required, Southern Indiana would still be avoided by many Kentucky consumers because of this simple added hurdle.

No2bridgetolls.org is pro-bridges. We expect a project that can be built with the committed money from Indiana and Kentucky, and if necessary minimal tolls on the east-end bridge only. This can be accomplished. The approach on the Kentucky side of the east-end bridge is still a quarter of a billion dollars more than the east-end bridge and the Indiana approach combined. This needs serious reductions.

This new plan still needs work. It is up to our leaders to look out for the best interest of Southern Indiana residents and businesses. It is up to you to tell them to do so, and let them know you will remember at election time if they do not. Participate in the process, we will show you how. Go to No2bridgetolls.org and sign up.

— Paul Fetter, Clarksville