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.
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.
You can read the entire proposal below
