Imagine northeast Indiana without Interstate 69, and you’ll understand why southwest Indiana residents are pleased by Gov. Mitch Daniels’ announcement this week that the state will move up the construction schedule for I-69’s Evansville-to-Bloomington link.

Daniels conducted the news conference Wednesday along a short section of the completed road, north of Evansville. It’s the only completed stretch of the highway project south of Indianapolis, a project that will finally end Evansville’s dubious distinction as the largest city in the continental U.S. without a direct highway link to its state capitol.

The governor said the state will use revenue beyond the Indiana Toll Road lease proceeds to finish the link from Evansville to Bloomington by 2014. Previously, construction wasn’t to begin on the route from near the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center to Bloomington until at least 2016.

But Daniels said highway construction costs are down because neighboring states aren’t tackling major projects, allowing Indiana to take advantage of lower prices.

He said bid amounts on the latest work, from U.S. 50 to U.S. 231, have come in 25 percent to 35 percent below estimates. The first phases of the project are within the state’s $700 million budget. The next phase is estimated at $400 million. Plans call for building the 142-mile extension in six sections, south to north, until I-69 links with I-465 southwest of Indianapolis.

It makes sense to take advantage of the favorable construction climate to advance the long-delayed project and give Indiana the interstate system befitting a state that calls itself the “Crossroads of America.”

Most of the opposition for the I-69 project comes from Bloomington-area residents who are concerned about the environmental effects of the work. While the loss of homes, farmland and woodlands is regrettable, there’s no discounting the value the project promises. Attempting to build I-69 from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne today undoubtedly would raise the same environmental concerns, but few can argue with the benefits northeast Indiana reaps from the interstate.

The I-69 project has been the subject of study for decades. The late Gov. Frank O’Bannon – a southern Indiana native and environmental supporter – did not take lightly the 2003 decision to choose a direct route over an I-70 to U.S. 41 route.

Daniels has been a consistent proponent of the project, and his efforts to get it built will benefit a region of the state long overlooked for a transportation upgrade.