Public Meeting held in London for I-66. People spoke out for & against the road. Very impressive group but it seemed that the "NO BUILD" has it. You should've been there. Here's my comments. I hope others will post their comments too.

My name is Sue Koplowitz. I am a local London resident who supports the no-build option for many reasons. I will stand up and protect the treasures we have here in Laurel & Pulaski Counties. I don’t believe that there is any other alternate, other than no build, that will not cause serious and irreparable damage the environment, our quality of life and be an outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money. I’m concerned about Global Warming. I see it every day, driving on that hot pavement of I-75 & 80…where its 10 degrees hotter than when I turn down my road and into the coolness of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

I stand here today both for myself and also as a spokesperson for Kick 66. We are against I-66 construction.

While KY's roads go to gravel and suffer from neglect, the politicians and contractors are quietly making a no-demand, no-traffic proposed road look like its the peoples' choice. Who benefits from I-66? Politicians and contractors highjacking millions of dollars of profit from unbid contracts and inevitable cost overruns. And here's how they’re doing it: They get all us locals together and we look at all the fancy maps and diagrams. Just vote on WHERE YOU THINK THE ROAD SHOULD GO, says the Transportation Cabinet, hardly mentioning the no-build alternate. One would think that building I-66 is a done deal!

WE ASK WHY BUILD IT AT ALL?

WE ASK HOW MUCH WILL IT REALLY COST?

WE ASK AREN’T THERE OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT WOULD BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE?

WE ASK WHY NOT FIX THE ROADS WE'VE GOT?

WE ASK HOW MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES AND DOWNTOWNS WILL GO BUST?

WE ASK WHY DID THEY CUT IT INTO SMALL SEGMENTS LIKE SALAMI?

Who will pay for this road NOBODY needs? You, Me, our children, our children's children and probably on for generations, We’ll be paying for this long after I-66 has turned to gravel, just like the rest of Kentucky's roads.

WE SUPPORT NO BUILD!

Thank you to the Transportation Cabinet and Highway officials for providing this forum.

And thank you to Roger Brucker who wrote much of this.

BE THERE IN SOMERSET!!! YOUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD!

TUESDAY, AUG. 8 5-8pm Center for Rural Development, US 27, Somerset, KY

RURAL DEVELOPMENT - that would almost be funny if it weren't so tragic.

But wait---there's more!
Growing up in the Pine Barrens of NJ-you never heard me cry...OH POOR ME-BRING ME JOBS!!!!!! I went out & I found jobs. Most were at least 50 mins. away but driving through the Jersey traffic made the trip MUCH longer. So I moved away. YES-people do move for jobs in other places besides here. Sometimes I worked 4 jobs! But these poor victims crying oh poor me, build me a road that will bring me jobs. I say its time to pull yourselves up by your boootstraps! Pity party is over. You get no sympathy here.

Speaking of traffic.....ever been on the Schuylkill Expressway on a Friday night from Valley Forge going into Phila? You haven't been in traffic til you been around the Blue Route! So when people say we NEED I-66, I can honestly say, hey, I know a place that NEEDS it more!

And for those that say why don't you just go on back where you came from? My response is..I wasn't born here, but I LIVE HERE NOW! This IS where I came from! Love it or don't!