LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – A group of bills that would ease the cost of RiverLink tolls for some Hoosiers, including in the event of a Sherman Minton Bridge shutdown, won’t pass the Indiana General Assembly this year.
The three Senate measures sponsored by Sen. Ron Grooms, R-Jeffersonville, failed to get hearings in the chamber’s tax and fiscal policy committee. In Indiana, legislation had to clear the Senate by February 26 to be considered in the House of Representatives.
“Perhaps we will try again next year,” Grooms said in a text message Tuesday.
For several years, Grooms has introduced bills giving Indiana businesses in Clark and Floyd counties a tax credit of up to $1,000 for toll expenses, and letting Clark County residents claim a tax deduction of up to $500 based on toll expenses. He filed them again this year.
But he also proposed limited rebates for toll costs if the Interstate 64 Sherman Minton Bridge is closed for more than six months during a $92 million repair project set to begin in early 2021. Transportation officials haven’t yet decided whether the span will be shut down or have partial lane restrictions.
Grooms’ bill would have let residents of Floyd and Harrison counties recoup half of the toll amounts they spend while using RiverLink bridges during a full Sherman Minton closure lasting at least six months. The Indiana Department of Transportation would oversee the rebates.
The Minton bridge, which connects New Albany, Ind., and Louisville, is one of two toll-free Ohio River crossings in the region and the only interstate span without tolls. If it does close for construction, the closest routes into Kentucky are the toll-free Clark Memorial Bridge or the I-65 Kennedy bridge.
Reach reporter Marcus Green at 502-585-0825, mgreen@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
