BLOOMINGTON -- New delays to the completion of the I-69 expansion project could be on the horizon after a contractor quit and others are threatening the same over a simple issue: They aren't being paid for their work.
The project, Section 5 of the overall I-69 expansion, is a 21-mile leg between Bloomington and Martinsville. It’s the second-to-last phase of the project to extend I-69 between Evansville and Indianapolis. It’s already been delayed at least once, and is currently scheduled to be completed on June 28, 2017.
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On Tuesday, the Indiana Finance Authority sent a letter of non-performance to the developers in charge of the project. The letter states that developers are not in compliance – and are breaching their contract with the state.
According to the letter the partners owe more than $9 million to contractors.
The state says several subcontractors have already left the project and several others are threatening to leave because they haven’t been paid.
One contractor, Crider and Crider, is owed more than $2.3 million. They have already quit working on the project and are now threatening to demobilize their equipment.
They have 30 days to reply to the letter.
This is just the latest issue facing the I-69 project. Default notices were issued by I-69 Development Partners to their main contractors back in August, telling them they had 20 days to pay their subcontractors.
The mayor of Bloomington and a Dem. State Rep held a press conference along State Rd 37 on Wednesday asking for answers and a time frame for completion of the project.
