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Indianapolis Star
05-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
New state law allots $50M for Indianapolis roads but can't be used for sidewalks, bike lanes
A state matching grant program could bring $100 million more a year to Indianapolis roads, but not to its sidewalks and bike paths. The city's 8,400 lane miles are chronically underfunded because the state's road-funding formula allots the same amount to a two-lane road and a six-lane road. The new law allows Indianapolis to triple certain taxes on vehicles to raise more revenue for roads. A new state law offers Indianapolis an additional $50 million in state funding each year to improve the city's battered roads. But the money, which could prove difficult to obtain, comes with strings attached that outlaw its use for increasingly popular traffic-calming changes like narrower streets, bike trails and sidewalks. Under House Bill 1461, Indianapolis can access up to $50 million a year from the statewide Community Crossings grant program, starting in 2027. Signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun May 1, the bill also increases speed limits on Interstate 465 from 55 to 65 miles per hour, effective July 1, 2025, and offers other local governments tools to expand their road budgets. To receive the money, Indianapolis must match any dollars the state provides, meaning the city could see up to $100 million more a year for roads by 2027. But an amendment by State Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, requires the city to match the state with new funding outside of its transportation and public safety budgets, a city spokesperson confirmed, which are two of the city's largest annual expenses. The 2025 city-county budget was more than $1.6 billion, with nearly $1 billion devoted to public safety services including the Indianapolis police and fire departments, the Marion County sheriff's and prosecutor's offices, and Marion County courts. The city allotted nearly $200 million to roads, bridges and greenways in 2025. The amendment also prevents Indianapolis from using the state's $50 million for five purposes: "reducing the capacity of existing roads and streets; greenways; bike lanes; bike trails; and sidewalks." Some pedestrian advocates say that provision creates an incentive for the city to maintain larger roads instead of reducing lane counts, which could decrease maintenance costs and improve overall traffic safety. The new state money won't solve Indy's pothole problem. A 2022 city-commissioned study found Indianapolis would need to spend more than $500 million a year to improve its roads to fair condition. Regardless, city leaders are praising this bill for giving Indianapolis a larger share of state dollars. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett called the legislation "the most significant new investment from the state of Indiana into Indianapolis road infrastructure in decades." The city has 8,400 miles of pavement but currently receives state funding for only 3,400 "center-lane" road miles. That discrepancy stems from a road-funding formula that disregards lane counts, sending the same amount of money to a two-lane road in a rural county and a six-lane road in Indianapolis. Can the city match up to $50 million in state funding? City officials will work in upcoming budgeting sessions to figure out how Indianapolis can shift money around to make the most of the state's contributions, Department of Public Works Director Todd Wilson said in a statement. The legislation allows the city to raise money by tripling wheel taxes on large commercial vehicles and excise taxes on smaller personal vehicles, but city leaders have not signaled whether they intend to do so. The bill raises the city's wheel tax limit from $80 to $240 and the excise tax limit from $50 to $150. Under the current limits, however, Indianapolis and Marion County still leave a combined $67 million in potential revenue on the table by charging less than the maximum allowed. "I don't see the need for us to raise our wheel tax to come up with that $50 million when we have a $1.65 billion budget, probably going up to $1.7 (billion) this next year," Republican Indianapolis City-County Councilor Joshua Bain said during an April 17 public works meeting. Democratic Councilor Jared Evans said that budgeting more money toward roads will be especially challenging because the city faces millions of dollars in lost property tax revenue after the passage of Senate Bill 1. "While it's good for the roads, we also know we have some cuts coming due to the property tax bill," Evans said in the same meeting. "I don't think it's going to be an easy thing to achieve." In a May 2 emailed statement, Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili said he expects the city to benefit from the full $100 million available each year under the new law. "For too long, limited funding has prevented us from addressing the full scope of our city's infrastructure needs," Osili said. "With this additional support, more streets will be repaved, more neighborhoods will be revitalized, and more residents will experience a higher quality of life." Why the money can't go toward "road diets," bike lanes, sidewalks While a potential boon for motorists, pedestrian advocates criticize the law for limiting road improvements that enhance safety for all users. The city has redoubled its commitment to such changes in recent years with the Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic deaths and the 2022 overhaul of its Complete Streets ordinance, a policy requiring city planners to design streets with all travelers in mind. Many multi-lane roads in Indianapolis see less traffic since the advent of the interstates, local urban designer Jeffery Tompkins told IndyStar, yet the city is stuck with about 8,400 miles of pavement. Barring spending on "road diets" to remove lanes and add more bike paths and sidewalks, as the city will do south of downtown on the six-lane Madison Avenue, upholds a status quo that Indianapolis can't afford to maintain, Tompkins said. "If I was a city leader with deferred maintenance of thousands of lane miles that I couldn't pay for," Tompkins said, "I think that maybe it would be a better idea to get rid of some of those lane miles that aren't serving my population." Anthony Cherolis, executive director of Bike Indianapolis and the Central Indiana Bicycling Association, criticized Freeman in an emailed statement for "state-level meddling in local design details" that would enhance road safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Freeman did not respond to IndyStar's request for comment. In the 2024 legislative session, Freeman fought unsuccessfully to stall IndyGo's Blue Line bus route, arguing it shouldn't reduce lanes for car traffic on Washington Street. State Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said he voted in favor of the bill despite Freeman's amendment because Indianapolis can't afford to miss out on $50 million in state money after decades of underfunding. "I'm excited for any piece of legislation that helps us address the backlog of roads and streets that need to be repaved and reconstructed, especially residential roads," Qaddoura told IndyStar.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Indiana lawmakers and Gov. Braun just increased the speed limit on I-465
Eager central Indiana commuters will now be able to drive 65 miles per hour ― legally ― on Interstate 465. The ten mile-per-hour increase was part of a large road funding bill that Gov. Mike Braun signed into law the evening of May 1. The increase did not appear in the original legislation and did not prompt much discussion during the legislative session. House Bill 1461, now House Enrolled Act 1461, dealt more prominently with other road subjects, like tolling and the Community Crossings grant program. The Senate added language about I-465 while the bill was working its way through that chamber, and the bill author, Republican Rep. Jim Pressel of Rolling Prairie, agreed with the changes. Many Hoosiers have long felt the 55 miles-per-hour speed limit was too low. A few years ago, the Indiana Department of Transportation measured drivers' speeds at a northwest section of the interstate for 13 days and found that 96% were going over the speed limit. From 2021: Why the speed limit on I-465 is only 55 mph despite most people driving faster When Pressel presented the final version of the bill on the House floor on April 17, he acknowledged that reality and elicited some chuckles from his colleagues. "This is really not anything to do with road funding, but I like it," he said. "For those of us who struggle driving 55 miles an hour on 465, it increases the speed limit to 65. There you go." Drivers should remain vigilant about lower speed limits in work zones, such as in the I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side. More: That lead foot could land a fine in your mailbox as INDOT launches speed control program Beginning May 5, there will be penalties for exceeding 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in those work zones. That came from another Indiana bill, passed in 2023, that enabled INDOT to pilot speed camera programs in work zones. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on X@kayla_dwyer17. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter,Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: The speed limit on I-465 is now higher thanks to this Indiana law
Indianapolis Star
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana lawmakers and Gov. Braun just increased the speed limit on I-465
Eager central Indiana commuters will now be able to drive 65 miles per hour ― legally ― on Interstate 465. The ten mile-per-hour increase was part of a large road funding bill that Gov. Mike Braun signed into law the evening of May 1. The increase did not appear in the original legislation and did not prompt much discussion during the legislative session. House Bill 1461, now House Enrolled Act 1461, dealt more prominently with other road subjects, like tolling and the Community Crossings grant program. The Senate added language about I-465 while the bill was working its way through that chamber, and the bill author, Republican Rep. Jim Pressel of Rolling Prairie, agreed with the changes. Many Hoosiers have long felt the 55 miles-per-hour speed limit was too low. A few years ago, the Indiana Department of Transportation measured drivers' speeds at a northwest section of the interstate for 13 days and found that 96% were going over the speed limit. When Pressel presented the final version of the bill on the House floor on April 17, he acknowledged that reality and elicited some chuckles from his colleagues. "This is really not anything to do with road funding, but I like it," he said. "For those of us who struggle driving 55 miles an hour on 465, it increases the speed limit to 65. There you go." Drivers should remain vigilant about lower speed limits in work zones, such as in the I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side. Beginning May 5, there will be penalties for exceeding 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in those work zones. That came from another Indiana bill, passed in 2023, that enabled INDOT to pilot speed camera programs in work zones.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chesterfield to repair Plum Street bridge
CHESTERFIELD — Traffic along Plum Street will be restricted for about two months as a long-awaited project to repair a bridge gets underway. E&B Paving, an Anderson-based contractor, will be repairing and repaving the bridge on Plum Street leading to Ind. 32. Cost estimates were not available Wednesday, but Town Council President Ed Leonard said the project would be paid for with a Community Crossings grant. Leonard said the town received the grant some time ago, but held on to the funds during the planning stages. Planning, Leonard said, is the reason for the project's years-long delay. Town officials had several regulatory hoops to jump through with engineering and legal matters. The latter was the most difficult. Leonard said he and other officials were surprised to learn that the biggest hurdles coincided with the bridge's size. Leonard said town officials were informed that if the planned bridge was smaller, construction could have started earlier.
Chicago Tribune
16-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Toll road bill passes Indiana Senate; amendments to remove tolls failed
The toll road bill passed the Senate Tuesday, which followed Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, proposing amendments Monday to remove the toll language from the bill, which failed. House Bill 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including I-80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the bill would allow the Indiana Department of Transportation to submit a request to the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll lanes on interstate highways. If the waiver is granted, the legislature would not have to enact a statute for the Indiana finance authority to take action on tolling. As he presented the amendment to his bill to the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, Pressel said the bill includes 'a check and balance' on potential tolling. 'We put a check and balance in there to report back to the state budget committee that if any tolling is going to be done or considered that they would have to go through the state budget committee at least to make them aware of that,' Pressel previously said. Along with tollways, House Bill 1461 allows for wheel tax, addresses bridge construction funding, allows excess distributions from the state's Community Crossings matching grant program to be distributed to all communities based on lane miles instead of road miles, along with other elements. Pressel previously testified in committee that the state has seen a decrease in road funding dollars, which comes from gas tax, BMV registration and excise tax, as cars become more fuel efficient and people purchase less gas. 'When your road funding revenue is based on gallons sold … we are having the conversation: How do we fund roads into the future? Should it come out of the general fund? I don't believe that to be true. I think we should have user fees. You pay for what you use,' Pressel previously said. By 2030, the state will have to fund $1.2 billion and local governments will have to fund between $900 million to $2.5 billion in road projects because of inflation costs and the reduction in drivers purchasing gas, Pressel said. Pol offered an amendment Monday to remove the language allowing INDOT to submit for the tollway waiver, and other tollway language including allowing INDOT, with the governor's approval, to determine that a state highway should become a tollway. 'This is something that I've heard a tremendous amount from my constituency,' Pol said. 'Northwest Indiana does not support another toll road in our area.' Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, asked the chamber to defeat the amendment because 'if you take tolling out of this discussion, then you essentially curb our ability to have a real discussion about road funding.' But, Crider said since 2017 state statute has given the governor's office the ability to toll. 'We're in a situation where INDOT is currently delaying projects,' Crider said. 'Let's let the governor's office and INDOT have a real robust discussion about the way we're going to fund our roads going forward.' The amendment failed 15-33. The bill states that if a waiver is applied for after January 2025, then it circumvents current law that states toll lanes need to be 75 miles from an interstate highway or bridge that already has tolling. Pol filed an amendment to restore the 75-mile exemption from tolling. In Northwest Indiana, residents already pay for tolls, including the Skyway and proximity to Chicago, Pol said. To avoid tolls, Northwest Indiana side streets see high rates of traffic, which has translated to increased road maintenance costs, he said. 'A new toll would directly contradict a larger legislative initiative and goal of alleviating financial burden for our Hoosiers,' Pol said. 'This is a very simple amendment. It is just adding back to what is our current law. That 75-mile radius means something. It was the legislative intent when we established it in 2017, it should remain the intent going forward.' Crider said the chamber should oppose the amendment because the 75 miles language 'is problematic' because 75 miles from I-80 would reach outside of Lafayette. 'We're in a situation where we do not have a funding stream currently that is going to fund the infrastructure needs of our state,' Crider said. The amendment failed 12-35. The bill was further amended Monday to include $50 million to Marion County for the construction, reconstruction and preservation of streets but cannot be used for reducing capacity of existing roads, greenways, bike lanes, bike trails and sidewalks. Another Senate amendment included township board approval of providing money for the improvement and maintenance of roads and infrastructure. The Senate passed the bill Tuesday 38-10. The bill will go back to the House because it was amended in the Senate.
