Indiana state officials are exploring strategies, including a potential public-private partnership, to deliver billions of dollars in highway infrastructure projects.
The state of Indiana has submitted a plan to implement toll infrastructure along Interstate 70, part of an effort to spend $6.5 billion to reconstruct and rehabilitate the highway from the state’s eastern border to its western border. Construction on toll-contingent projects is expected to begin in 2028.
Officials have stated that, while the I-70 reconstruction effort is critical to ensure reliable freight and transit operations across the state, the project is too expensive to cover using existing reserves. Tolling would provide the state with the capital needed to advance construction. Should the proposal be approved, Indiana would implement an open-road tolling model using overhead gantries to charge vehicles across the entire 156-mile corridor.
According to planning documents, corridor tolling could open by 2029. The state assumes that the toll rate per mile would be around $0.10 for passenger vehicles and $0.54 for large trucks. To ensure it can meet the deadline, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will begin executing several activities in advance of final approval:
- Accelerating the implementation of the Back Office System (BOS) by drawing from the system requirements and experience gained from past projects.
- Designing toll gantries in anticipation of future installation.
- Procuring and installing tolling equipment and technology, including cameras and transponder readers.
- Evaluating and selecting a Customer Service Center (CSC) for tolling customer service.
- Conducting a corridor-level National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment prioritizing tolling impact and placement of gantries.
- Conducting a project-level NEPA assessment to secure physical construction activities.
The $6.5 billion I-70 reconstruction project will cover 112 miles in total and predominantly focuses on expanding all sections of the roadway from four lanes to six. The interstate was originally built as a four-lane structure in the 1960s. INDOT later expanded 37 miles of the roadway to six lanes and is currently working to expand another seven miles as part of an ongoing project.
As part of the reconstruction project, INDOT would implement safety improvements, preserve sections of the road and rehabilitate and/or reconstruct deteriorated assets. This may include work on pavement, bridges, culverts and overhead signs. The state will also implement targeted safety improvements at high crash locations.
Currently, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has not notified Indiana lawmakers when it will give a decision on the tolling request. Should it be approved, the state is considering entering a public-private partnership (P3) for project delivery.
Photo by Scott from Pixabay
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