The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 18

Friday. October 25. 1974 THEINDI ANAPOLIS NEWS Pae 18 1-65 and 1-70 southeast interchange, looking north on inner loop. Interstate 65, looking northward from Keystone near downtown area. State hiqnway commission Photos 1-70 interchange at Harding Street, looking northwest.

Northeast interchange of 1-65 and 1-70 at Nth and College. Inner Loop To Be Ready In 2 Years (Ml Gov. Otis R. Bowen announced today that, as the construction schedule now stands, all of the 1-65 and 1-70 inner loop in downtown Indianapolis will be completed and opened to traffic by the fall of 1976. The news came as the governor, along with Richard Boehnmg, chairman of the State Highway Commission; Rep.

William Hudnut, and other dignitaries made an on-the-spot check of inner loop construction. Gov. Bowen called it "the most extensive construction project in the history of Indiana's capital city." Early completion is credited to an accelerated interstate construction program enacted by the 1974 Indiana General Assembly specifically to complete the loop. The state could not wait for Federal highway funds a wait of about 10 years to complete the job and so decided instead that the state should pick up where the Federal government left off, the governor said. Boehnmg said it was a question of the Highway Commission "sticking its neck out" or waiting for Federal money.

The accelerated program was adopted, and construction is booming along the routes for the two interstates. Boehnmg said the accelerated program could save the state up to $150 million over anticipated increases in highway construction costs at the later date. Boehning said that if the price increases of the last year or two were to continue at near the same rate, "there would never have been enough Federal funds to complete the interstate program in Indiana." I Here is a timetable of portions of 1-65 and 1-70 to be open for traffic: 1-70 from Holt Road to a point beyond the Harding Street interchange September 1975. 170 from the Harding Street interchange to East Street December 1975. 1-65 from the Keystone Avenue interchange to the Southside to Raymond Street October 1975.

1-65 from Raymond Street joining with 1-70 and continuing to Emerson Avenue fall of 1976. Boehning said total cost of the interstate program in Marion County to date has been more than $403 million, which does not include other projects, such as Ind. 37 on the north-eastside. An additional $20 million is needed to complete that project into downtown Indianapolis. There are other projects in the county totaling more than $37 million.

Of major concern to state authorities are city streets under jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation and whether they will be ready by the fall of 1976 to handle traffic coming of and going onto 1-65 and 1-70. A letter was read during a press conference concluding today's tour from Norbert T. Tiemann, Federal highway administrator, expressing appreciation to Rep. Hudnut for his efforts in helping to resolve some problems involving interstate funding. "Through your efforts and leadership, we were able to surmount some of the difficulties presented and even though impoundment (of highway trust funds begun in 1966) is still with us, we have made reasonably good progress in highway construction." I JF" A Mis 4 Prickly Friend ASHLAND, Wis.

Dr. Robert Brander, a professor at Northland College, shares a moment with Blondie, the pet porcupine that follows him to school, drinVi beer livens parties and entertains neighborhood children Brander made Blondie a pet to study the 'and ecological importance of porcupines, AP. ii.