INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is pushing to add tolls to I-70, and it could cost passenger vehicles $15.60 to cross the state, and $84.24 for a semi truck.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
Governor Mike Braun signed legislation in May giving the state authority to move forward, and INDOT has already submitted a formal application to the federal government seeking approval.
The plan would charge drivers 10 cents per mile and truck drivers 54 cents per mile across all 156 miles of I-70 from the Ohio border to the Illinois border. Tolls could go live as early as 2029.
Why is Indiana turning to tolls?
INDOT says it has no other choice. A 2024 revenue study found that without tolling, it would take 89 years to widen and reconstruct the highway using existing funding alone, about $177 million every three years.
The state says I-70 desperately needs the work. More than 60 percent of the highway's pavement is rated in poor or fair condition, and 115 miles have identified safety concerns based on crash frequency and severity. Widening four-lane sections to six lanes, INDOT says, would reduce fatal crashes by 32 percent.
How much would it cost to fix?
The total reconstruction price tag is estimated at roughly $7 billion, for 112 miles of widening and upgrades plus an additional $1.8 billion for improvements in the Indianapolis area. The project would take eight to ten years.
INDOT plans to fund it through a combination of toll revenue bonds, about $3.3 billion, and toll revenues collected during construction.
When would tolling start?
If federal approval is granted, tolls would go live in early 2029. Construction on toll-funded projects would begin in 2028 and continue for eight to ten years.
Drivers who don't want to pay can use U.S. 40, which runs parallel to I-70 across the entire state.
FHWA has not yet issued a decision on the application.
Reaction
The Hoosier Environmental Council shared this statement in response to the proposal:
"The Hoosier Environmental Council is deeply concerned that Indiana is moving forward with the multibillion‑dollar Mid‑States Corridor, a new terrain highway that would cut through forests, wetlands, farms, and wildlife habitat, despite strong local opposition and clear environmental consequences.
At the same time, the state is proposing to toll I‑70 at rates up to ten cents per mile for cars and more than fifty cents per mile for trucks to cover basic reconstruction and lane expansion of an existing interstate. These are costs that should be prioritized before investing in destructive new highways.
Hoosiers deserve a transportation strategy that protects our communities and natural resources, fixes the roads we already have, and does not ask residents to pay tolls while the state pours billions into an unnecessary and environmentally harmful project.”
You can read the entire proposal below
