Ind. officials refute claims of I-69 work hazards

CRANE, Ind. — State officials are refuting claims that construction work on the Interstate 69 extension in southern Indiana is creating dangerous traffic hazards.

Opponents of the highway project say the construction work going on in Greene and Daviess counties has contributed to crashes this fall that have killed three people and badly injured others. Foes say the state should stop work to address safety issues, along with what they call severe erosion caused by the construction.

State highway department spokeswoman Cher Elliott tells The Herald-Times of Bloomington that the crashes cited by opponents didn’t happen in construction zones or involve vehicles being used by project contractors.

Construction is under way on a nearly 70-mile stretch of the highway from near Evansville to just outside the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center.