Poll Shows Strong Local Opposition to Proposed Mid States Corridor Project
Residents and local officials gathered at the Dubois County Courthouse to reveal a poll that found overwhelming opposition to the proposed Mid States Corridor, a four lane, 23 mile highway through the county. The results matter because they signal strong reluctance to accept local tax responsibilities and could shape how elected officials vote on the project.
Opponents of the Mid States Corridor unveiled polling results on December 22 at the Dubois County Courthouse that they say make clear the direction of public sentiment. The survey, conducted December 16 and 17 by Raleigh based Public Policy Polling and funded by donations from residents and members of the Property Rights Alliance and the Stop the Mid States Corridor Coalition, collected 636 responses from a sample sent to 16,000 registered voters in the county. Organizers reported a margin of error of less than 4 percent.
The poll shows 72 percent of respondents strongly oppose the project, 9 percent somewhat oppose it, 14 percent support it, and 6 percent remain unsure. It also found 82 percent saying travel time savings are not important at all, with another 8 percent saying they are not too important. Voters expressed pronounced resistance to taking on local financial obligations, with 84 percent opposing use of local tax dollars to maintain U S 231 and 78 percent strongly opposed. Respondents indicated 87 percent want elected officials to clearly state their positions on the corridor, and 77 percent said they would be less likely to re elect officials who support it.
Local elected leaders joined the announcement. Phil Mundy, President Pro Tempore of the Jasper Common Council, and council members Chad Lueken and Vince Helming publicly announced their opposition to the corridor during the event. Mundy stressed municipal finance realities, noting the city cut about 1.5 million dollars from the 2026 budget to keep spending flat, and warned that local governments lack capacity to absorb new maintenance costs. “We don’t have the money to do that. Nobody has the money to do that,” he said. Mundy described his approach to the issue as one of scrutiny and accountability. “My goal has been simple. Ask the right questions and insist on real answers,” he said. “Today we finally have an answer to one of the most important questions of all. What do the people of Dubois County want?” He added he would share the poll with decision makers and press for responses to the community voice. Brad Hochgesang, who co founded Midstates Update and helped commission the poll, said the decision was driven by data. “You don’t make big decisions on gut feelings. You make them on data,” he said. “That’s why we commissioned a professional poll.” He noted the results were decisive and urged proponents to reflect. “When that many people are opposed to a project, it’s probably time to listen,” he said.
The proposed corridor, estimated at about 1.1 billion dollars for the county segment or roughly 47 million dollars per mile, includes a request from the Indiana Department of Transportation for a 10 percent local match and the possibility that Dubois County, Jasper, and Huntingburg would assume responsibility for U S 231. The poll organizers provided a download link to the full results for residents and officials seeking the detailed data.
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