I-66: CONGRESS WILL MAKE FINAL DECISION ON PROPOSAL

A decision on whether further studies should be done on a trans-America corridor being promoted as I-66 is in the hands of Congress.

But before members of Congress have an opportunity to review the conclusions of a feasibility study that was recently finished, state highway department officials serving on a study steering committee must approve the study. It will then be sent to the Federal Highway Administration for another review.

Since a complete draft of the final report won't be ready for at least 30 days, it probably will be late this year before Congress has a chance to focus on findings.

Tom Weeks of the Federal Highway Administration, who is chairing the study steering committee, said Thursday he is unsure what his agency will do with the report. The FHA, before turning the study over to Congress, will have an opportunity to prepare comments.

Weeks, at a meeting Thursday in St. Louis to explain findings of the study, said, "The steering committee will decide how to forward it to the highway administration."

Weeks said he doesn't believe the FHA will make a recommendation to Congress since it did not ask for one; however, there likely will be some written comments about the study.

But since the corridor is listed in the federal highway bill as one of 21 high-priority corridors to be studied, Weeks said at some point his agency will have to decide how the corridor is reflected in the national highway system.

"We do acknowledge something has to be done now," said Weeks. "But we wanted to wait on the study to decide how to treat this corridor."

Walt Wildman, co-director of I-66 Project Inc., the group promoting the concept, said he is optimistic once Congress gets the study it will see the merits of moving forward. Wildman is concerned by some of the conclusions in the study's executive summary, which said the coast-to-coast highway is not economically feasible on a national scale, although certain segments of it might be viable.

"We take exception to the finality and definiteness of the conclusion statement," said Wildman. "We are concerned about the technical report and the spin it gives the public."

Wildman has complained that the tone of the report is making it difficult for I-66 task force members to raise funds to keep their effort moving forward.

"A final yes or no decision is going to be made by Congress. It all depends on how bad they want it and what they are hearing from constituents," Wildman said.

Weeks said the study only takes into account technical issues; it attempted to stay clear of policy issues. Wildman predicted the project will be perceived in a better light once Congress assesses it from the perspective of public policy.

"There are a lot of policy decisions to be made yet," said Wildman.

One of the five transportation alternatives studied was one superhighway, which the study team said came the closest to being economically feasible. But under certain sensitivity tests, the superhighway surpassed statistical tests that would make it feasible, something Wildman believes Congress will take note of.

One test that would reduce costs and make it feasible would be to reduce the highway from eight lanes to six.

On behalf of I-66 Project Inc., Wildman is drafting a response to the study that will be a part of the final study document.

Part of Wildman's response will be a recommendation that $1 million appropriated by Congress to the FHA for a study of I-66 that has not been spent be used now to clarify some of the issues raised by the study.

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, attended Thursday's meeting in St. Louis. He plans to make a report to his board next Tuesday.

"It is an agenda item for me to relate what I found out at the presentation of the feasibility study; everything from the high points of the presentation to the low points from the I-66 standpoint," said Mehner.

Although the chamber has not provided financial support to the effort, the board has endorsed the concept of I-66, and Mehner believes that support will continue until Congress acts.

"If they kill it, it is a dead issue; however, from the chamber's standpoint our primary concern is having a four-lane highway from here to Springfield and four lanes from here to Paducah," said Mehner. "That is our priority regardless of what happens to I-66."