Transportation
I-67 would benefit Owensboro By Benjamin Hoak
Until recently, Owensboro ranked as Kentucky’s third largest city, behind Louisville and Lexington. One major reason for the growth that allowed Bowling Green to pass Owensboro in population was interstate access – Bowling Green is located directly on I-65 between Nashville and Louisville. Owensboro officials have long dreamed of similar interstate access not just for ease of transportation, but for economic development purposes. Close proximity to an interstate is one of the top five factors when companies decide where to locate, said Nick Brake, president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation. In fact, Owensboro is often left off the list of possible locations because the city simply doesn’t show up in databases that limit searches by proximity to an inter-
30
state. After decades of inaction on this front, though, hope is finally peeking over the horizon. A 2012 study found justification to proceed with plans for a new interstate (I-67) running from Nashville, TN, to northern Michigan – and passing directly through Owensboro. The study, commissioned by the I-67 Development Corporation and funded by several public and private groups, including $12,500 each from the City of Owensboro and Daviess County, projected that Kentucky would see between 24,900 and 32,000 vehicles daily on I-67 if it is built without tolls and between 21,200 and 28,500 vehicles with tolls. “It’s a huge opportunity for us to get noticed,” Brake said. Transportation benefits and savings for businesses and households across the area would result in an economic benefit O W E N S B O R O
2 0 1 3
of $3.2 billion if the interstate is built without tolls, the study found. “We’ve already got … waterway, railway, airport,” said Amy Jackson, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. “Bringing in the interstate … makes all the puzzle pieces fit for economic development.” Owensboro’s location as the geographic center for much of the eastern United States makes the need even more important, she said. The major advantage that I-67 proponents are touting is that I-67 would be a relatively cheap interstate to build because of its use of existing infrastructure. The proposed route uses mostly existing corridors from I-75 near Gaylord, MI, to I-69 near Indianapolis, to I-65 near Nashville. Only two major sections would have to be built from scratch – a 38-mile section of U.S. 231 from I-64 to