I-65 Project Continues After Court Ruling

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the planned new interchange on Interstate 65 at Oakland and its connector to U.S. 31-W comply with federal environmental review standards. The ruling means the state will move forward with the project as quickly as it can, said Greg Meredith, chief district engineer with the Department of Highways. The project has been in the works since 2003 and had a federal earmark of $36 million. The project slowed when Karst Environmental Education and Protection sued the Federal Highway Administration in October 2010 to halt the project. The lawsuit contended that federal officials didn’t comply with the National Environmental Policy Act before approving the project.