Major Moves moves ahead

There are no more roadblocks to stop the leasing of the toll road, and the editors of the Indianapolis Star are happy.

The state Supreme Court made it clear Tuesday in a unanimous decision: Opponents didn't make a strong case for advancing a lawsuit to halt Gov. Mitch Daniels' Major Moves plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road. The justices affirmed a St. Joseph County judge's decision to thwart the suit aimed at killing the long-term lease deal with a foreign consortium.

Since Major Moves opponents admit they can't post a $1.9 billion bond, the suit has little chance to proceed. They had contended that the $3.8 billion agreement, due to be finalized June 30, was unconstitutional. The state high court recognized the need to act quickly, but deliberately, on the case.

The opponents were simply trying to extend a debate over Major Moves -- and the direction of Indiana's economic future -- that they had lost earlier this year in the Statehouse. The plaintiffs' loss, however, is a gain for the 6.2 million citizens of Indiana. Proceeds from the 75-year Toll Road lease can now be poured into upgrading aging road infrastructure.

Daniels recently announced that the state will invest $12 billion in roads during the next decade -- four times the amount it currently spends. The lease will help make the extra funding and more jobs possible. And this in turn means Indiana's economy can move forward.

75 years, the lease will be over long after we are either gone or OLD. I still don't understand why the lease has to be a lifetime... because the company meets its buyoff in like 33 years, which leaves what, 42 years of profit? Don't quote me on that though...