Study Outlines Benefits of Mid-States Corridor Project

(file photo courtesy of the Mid-States Corridor project)

A study commissioned by the economic development organization for Dubois County shows the Mid-States Corridor project would bring multiple benefits to the region. Dubois Strong says the project, which would run from the Ohio River through Dubois County and connect to I-69, could generate an estimated $1 billion in new spending for Dubois and Spencer counties annually.

Dubois Strong tapped Chicago-based Hunden Strategic Partners in September to conduct the study. In addition to the economic benefits, the study suggests the project would result in a 50% reduction in accidents in Dubois County, creating more than $9 million in annual savings, and it would create 7,000 jobs. 

“The importance of the Mid-States Corridor project to the future economic growth of Dubois County, Spencer County, and the general Southern Indiana region cannot be understated,” Dubois Strong President Ed Cole said in a news release. “In addition to providing efficient access to our area’s top markets, this study emphasizes the need to accelerate this project to further establish Southern Indiana as an economic engine that will drive our state forward for generations to come.”

Proponents of the project say the Mid-States Corridor would provide a faster and more direct route to major cities in the region and reduce roadway congestion by creating a connected alternative to I-65.

A year ago, the team behind the project identified 10 preliminary alternatives for the Mid-States Corridor. The team expects to identify a preferred route, publish a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and provide formal comment periods by this fall.

The study says the benefits will be felt throughout the region, impacting Perry, Warrick, Pike, Daviess, Crawford, Orange, Martin, Lawrence, Greene, and Monroe counties.

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