Published: October 23, 2009 07:50 pm      

Boon to Starlight and Borden: Star Hill Road funding may come from TIGER grants

The concept — which has been in some form of planning for more than 50 years — is a connector road leading from Ind. 60 to the top of Starlight, adjoining at Rake Road.

Star Hill Road may finally come to fruition with the commitment of federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery — or TIGER — grant funding.

“The proposed Star Hill Road alignment will provide a safe and efficient access route to Starlight and the town of Borden from Ind. 60, with an approximate four-minute travel time, providing a reduction of approximately 15 minutes,” according to the application for the TIGER grant submitted by the Clark County Commissioners.

Although the total cost of the project is below the generally required threshold of $20 million for TIGER grants, the Star Hill Road project still qualifies.

“There are exceptions and we meet the exceptions,” said County Commissioner Les Young.



FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS

In order to receive the federal TIGER funding for Star Hill Road, the project must meet several standards.

The TIGER grants are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, totaling $1.5 billion, being distributed nationwide and are available until Sept. 30, 2011, for transportation infrastructure projects, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Web site. “Some of the things they are looking for in the stimulus, this can meet,” said Michael Flint, president of Flint Group Inc., which helped prepare the application for the county.

The project must have an economic impact to the area, meet environmental sustainability requirements and improve safety.

The economic impact to the region would be two-fold.

The first accomplishment of the road would be to create an estimated 105 jobs over the next two years, according to the application.

Secondly, the area could build up infrastructure around the rerouted traffic.

“The long-term economic impact will provide increased opportunities for expanded business opportunities, including small and emerging businesses,” the application said.

The environmental sustainability requirements are met through reduced travel time and alleviated congestion, which would reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Safety improvements would again allow for less traffic, create a route for semi-trucks and other large vehicles, such as school buses — the current route is steep — allow for a second access route for emergency personnel and keep a road open during winter months, even through hazardous conditions.

Even if the application submitted by the commissioners meets the requirements for the TIGER funds, there is some question as to whether or not it would be awarded because of competition for the federal money.

Nearly 1,600 applications have been filed for the $1.5 billion available in TIGER grants, Flint said.

But the need in Clark County is apparent.



THE NEED

“It’s for economic development and it’s for safety,” Young said. “We get a lot of truck traffic and the road is getting unsafe.”

The semi-trucks normally traversing the hilly, winding, narrow road are often going to Starlight businesses. The area also is home to many tourist destinations.

Because of the growing amount of tourists visiting Starlight — 500,000 according to the application — the roads are becoming clogged and creating more of a danger.

By rerouting someof the large vehicles and tourists, the county may be able to address another pressing problem.

“The thing that is key is over half-a-million tourists per year [would use the road] and Borden, which is struggling ... it’s critical to their survival,” Flint said.

The sentiment was reiterated in the application for funding.

“Though the neighboring town of Starlight has an abundance of tourist activities, the town of Borden is isolated due to inadequate transportation routes,” it said. “Businesses are hesitant to locate or expand in Borden because of accessibility issues between the two communities.

“This project will serve as a catalyst for economic opportunity for the town of Borden.”

Although the outcome is uncertain, those involved are more than willing to take the chance.

“It’s a shot,” Flint said. “We’ve come a long way.”

Before it’s complete, however, there still is a long way to go.



THE PROJECT

The construction of the project would create a new, 2.36 mile road, running from Ind. 60 to Rake Road near Starlight.

Minor improvements would need to be made to Ind. 60 and Rake Road.

Through project sponsors, the county’s investment, federal earmark and Group IV funds, $9.14 million already is in place to construct the road and another nearly $500,000 has been provided to complete design and right-of-way engineering. The county has applied for an additional $9.13 million through the TIGER grants.

The total cost of the project, according to the TIGER grant application, is nearly $19 million, although Young said if the project is expedited and it is able to be bid within the year, the cost likely would be below that.

Young said he doesn’t believe the project will be halted if the TIGER funds don’t come through.

However, the timeline for the project might extend, as the county likely would go back to the Indiana Department of Transportation and have to wait for more funding.

Even if the grant does not come through for the county, there is enough funding in place to complete the first two phases, depending on how the project is tackled, Flint said.

The best case scenario for the county is it would begin construction on Star Hill Road in late 2010.