Mooresville residents concerned over alternate I-69 routes
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Department of Transportation is narrowing down the alternative routes to connect Interstate 69 from Martinsville to Indianapolis.
The connection is part of a larger project to connect Evansville to Indianapolis.
INDOT cut down the list of routes from 27 to 5, including State Road 37, but some people living in Mooresville said four of those five routes are upsetting.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting at Perry Meridian High School Monday night.
Mooresville residents Sherry Bush and Roberta Sharp walked into the gym already feeling frustrated.
“Well, one will go in front of my house and the other one could go behind my house so it’s going to affect me either route they choose on the west side of Mooresville,” said Bush.
“I just saw that they change one of the routes slightly so instead of going near me it’s going right through my house,” said Sharp.
The women started a group called The Greater Mooresville Advisory Committee.
Members said they are against the alternative routes cutting through the west and east side of their small town.
“Shocked and people are still being shocked by it,” said Bush. “They still don’t think it’s going anywhere other than 37 like we’ve been told for the last ten to 15 years.”
In addition to SR 37, INDOT is also considering four other alternative routes. The agency said it came up with the routes after receiving comments from residents at previous meetings. The agency asked them what other routes they would like to see outside of SR 37.
“There are some people who are for it and there are some people who are against it,” said LaMar Holliday, INDOT public involvement specialist. “But essentially what we’re looking at we want to get the public involved in this process.”
A color coded map showed the alternative routes.
INDOT said the routes would start on SR 37 in orange; the pink and green routes would go through Mann Road and connect through 465 near that exit. Routes in red and blue would go through Mooresville and connect to I-70.
“We all live here because it’s small, it’s out of the city, it’s rural life and that will be gone,” said Bush.
Two more public meetings are scheduled, according to INDOT.
The next will be at Mooresville High School on Wednesday, December 2 starting at 6 p.m.
The last will be on Thursday, December 3 at Martinsville High School.
INDOT is encouraging residents to share their feedback. The deadline for comment is December 17.
Click here for more information if you’d like to submit your comment.