Latest news with #HouseEnrolledAct1461
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I-65 fiery truck crashes ignite conversation about tolling, expanding highway
Recent fiery truck accidents on Interstate 65 in southern Lake and Jasper counties in the spring resulted in long traffic delays and asphalt repairs, which have resurfaced questions about tolling and expanding I-65. House Enrolled Act 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including Interstate 80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the law allows 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. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said at an event in Munster last month, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Indiana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek said Monday that the department hasn't received information from the governor's office or the legislature about beginning to toll roads in Indiana. 'That question is still being answered. We're still waiting to hear what their intent was with that one,' Bajek said. Expanding I-65 to three lanes, for both northbound and southbound traffic, 'is always a topic of conversation' at INDOT, 'however we do not currently have a project in place to do so' in Northwest Indiana, Bajek said. A truck fire in April led to paint cans exploding from the vehicle and halting traffic on I-65 southbound. A truck driver pulled over near mile-marker 231 on I-65 southbound around 1 p.m. April 21. The driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The driver ran to get a fire extinguisher from the cab, but when she returned the fire had spread to the trailer, which was filled with paint cans, according to the release. The paint cans 'ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire,' according to the release. As crews worked to put out the fire, there was a moment when north and southbound lanes were closed because of the smoke. When the scene was cleared, a large section of asphalt had to be replaced, according to the release. The highway was closed for approximately 16 hours, Bajek said. A semi-truck crash in May led to a fire, closed I-65 near Lowell for hours and needed asphalt repair. A UPS truck crashed while headed northbound on I-65 near mile-marker 238.8 May 17 after exiting a construction zone lane restriction. The truck 'experienced a sudden tire failure on one of the steer tires' which resulted in the driver losing control of the truck, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The truck and trailer overturned, which blocked the entire roadway, and caught fire. The driver was able to get out of the truck but was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The asphalt was damaged and deemed unsafe for traffic, according to the release, so it had to be replaced and refilled. The road was closed for approximately 10 hours, Bajek said. As a result, beginning in June, the Lake County Sheriff's Department Traffic Unit began enforcing operations targeting overweight vehicles that are damaging roadways and impacting driver safety along the state line in southwest Lake County, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Department news release. The department will send out more than 60 warning notices to companies and drivers of vehicles in violation of weight limits. Drivers will receive tickets if they continue to ignore weight restrictions on county roadways, according to the sheriff's release. In Lake County, there is a 15-ton limit on 197th, 185th and 151st from U.S. 41 west to State Line Road, according to the sheriff's release. 'We are taking this proactive approach to help reduce the kind of heavy traffic on weight restricted roads that causes significant wear and tear on the roads,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in the release. 'The accelerated degradation of the roads leads to increased maintenance costs for taxpayers.' akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
I-65 fiery truck crashes ignite conversation about tolling, expanding highway
Recent fiery truck accidents on Interstate 65 in southern Lake and Jasper counties in the spring resulted in long traffic delays and asphalt repairs, which have resurfaced questions about tolling and expanding I-65. House Enrolled Act 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including Interstate 80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the law allows 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. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said at an event in Munster last month, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Indiana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek said Monday that the department hasn't received information from the governor's office or the legislature about beginning to toll roads in Indiana. 'That question is still being answered. We're still waiting to hear what their intent was with that one,' Bajek said. Expanding I-65 to three lanes, for both northbound and southbound traffic, 'is always a topic of conversation' at INDOT, 'however we do not currently have a project in place to do so' in Northwest Indiana, Bajek said. A truck fire in April led to paint cans exploding from the vehicle and halting traffic on I-65 southbound. A truck driver pulled over near mile-marker 231 on I-65 southbound around 1 p.m. April 21. The driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The driver ran to get a fire extinguisher from the cab, but when she returned the fire had spread to the trailer, which was filled with paint cans, according to the release. The paint cans 'ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire,' according to the release. As crews worked to put out the fire, there was a moment when north and southbound lanes were closed because of the smoke. When the scene was cleared, a large section of asphalt had to be replaced, according to the release. The highway was closed for approximately 16 hours, Bajek said. A semi-truck crash in May led to a fire, closed I-65 near Lowell for hours and needed asphalt repair. A UPS truck crashed while headed northbound on I-65 near mile-marker 238.8 May 17 after exiting a construction zone lane restriction. The truck 'experienced a sudden tire failure on one of the steer tires' which resulted in the driver losing control of the truck, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The truck and trailer overturned, which blocked the entire roadway, and caught fire. The driver was able to get out of the truck but was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The asphalt was damaged and deemed unsafe for traffic, according to the release, so it had to be replaced and refilled. The road was closed for approximately 10 hours, Bajek said. As a result, beginning in June, the Lake County Sheriff's Department Traffic Unit began enforcing operations targeting overweight vehicles that are damaging roadways and impacting driver safety along the state line in southwest Lake County, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Department news release. The department will send out more than 60 warning notices to companies and drivers of vehicles in violation of weight limits. Drivers will receive tickets if they continue to ignore weight restrictions on county roadways, according to the sheriff's release. In Lake County, there is a 15-ton limit on 197th, 185th and 151st from U.S. 41 west to State Line Road, according to the sheriff's release. 'We are taking this proactive approach to help reduce the kind of heavy traffic on weight restricted roads that causes significant wear and tear on the roads,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in the release. 'The accelerated degradation of the roads leads to increased maintenance costs for taxpayers.'
Chicago Tribune
08-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Braun focuses on business issues at Munster chamber lunch
Gov. Mike Braun participated in a question and answer session Thursday during a Munster Camber of Commerce luncheon that focused on small businesses, local school referendums, and tolling, while protesters lined Ridge Road outside the event to express criticism with much of the legislation Braun has signed into law. After college, Braun said he moved back to Jasper and ultimately became a small business owner, where he had 15 employees and established his office in a mobile home. The company, Meyer Body, grew into a national company with thousands of employees, he said. Lake County is 'a stew pot' of ethnicity, small businesses, and blue collar workers, Braun said. The region's proximity to Illinois has resulted in an increase in Illinoisians moving to Indiana, he said. While Indiana has 'an environment' for businesses, Braun said Indiana doesn't have many start-up companies. Braun said he has focused on reorganizing the state government to focus on entrepreneurship. To grow the future workforce, Braun said Ivy Tech has become an important post-secondary education institution. 'Our other schools have got to get better at producing degrees that we have markets for in our home state. Otherwise, think about it, if you don't you're exporting your kid out of state to find a job. Or worse, in the basement, because they want to live here but found out they have been misguided into a degree that has no market. I can guarantee I'm going to get that balanced out.' As a whole, Braun said he likes giving parents a choice because education isn't 'one size fits all.' Braun said he'd like to see schools offer students opportunities for apprenticeships and skilled jobs. When it comes to tariffs, Braun said all the Trump Administration is asking to 'keep them equal and hopefully both go down mutually to nothing over time.' 'That'd be called free and fair trade. Finally, we've got somebody attending to it. It needed to be done,' Braun said. When looking at transit-oriented development, Braun said while in Indianapolis that has been 'a big boondoggle' it makes sense for Northwest Indiana. The expansion of the South Shore Line will help Northwest Indiana prosper, he said. 'I'm anxious to see how you develop around it, and to make sure we, to the extent we can, support it so that we can give it an excellent chance to actually take root and work. From what I've seen, you are off to a good start.' Following the end of his first legislative session as governor, Braun said the legislators worked toward putting 'Indiana in a better place.' 'I am going to completely tune up our state government that had gotten a little sloppy over the last 8 to 12 years. I want to do better for the customer, the constituent.' House Enrolled Act 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. Braun signed the bill into law May 1. 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. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'Tolling, when you're the crossroads of America, especially on places like (Interstate) 70, where almost 70% of the use is by somebody that doesn't even stop to eat or get fuel. It's going to have to be considered because, otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Braun addressed Crown Point and Hobart taxpayers approving the renewal of eight-year school property tax referendums Tuesday. The special election in the two cities marked the last time such off-year votes were cast. Recent state legislation calls for school referendum votes to take place only in the general election cycle in November. 'We're just getting back to a place where we need to make sure the taxpayers can shoulder the burden. Most of them want to, and then the jurisdictions have to make sure, if they need more, they make the case for it,' Braun said. Braun said he was most proud of the legislature addressing health care, but didn't expand on that with specifics. Senate Enrolled Act 2 — authored by Sen. Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka — places restrictions on Medicaid, including work requirements on an insurance program for Hoosiers with a medium income and between ages 19 to 64. Braun signed the bill into law May 1. Around 60 protesters lined the sidewalk in front of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, where the luncheon was held, and across Ridge Road. House Bill 1461, which lifts some hurdles for turning roads into toll roads, was top-of-mind. 'I get that he wants to nab the people traveling from Ilinois to Michigan, but the people of Northwest Indiana use the roads, too,' Deb Lueken, of Schererville, said. 'It's going to overburden all the state and side roads.' 'It might be worth having a toll road if there were someplace good to go to,' added Janet Knight, of Crown Point, said. 'I lived in Illinois, and we moved for the lower property taxes. But now, I'm so sorry we ever moved.' Carla Ducret, of Whiting, was upset about the toll roads, but she had other things on her mind. 'Who paid for that helipad at his own private house, and who paid for that $80,000 vehicle (Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith) now drives?' she said. 'How bad do you have to be if you're cutting a Dolly Parton (Imagination Library) program?' 'If you cut taxes, you're cutting services,' added Angela Kwasnica, of Munster. Protest organizer Tracie Martin said she was surprised at the larger turnout, but also not really. 'There isn't a facet of Indiana life that hasn't been messed with,' she said. 'Whoever voted for Braun, I don't think they thought he would make it impossible to live here.'
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.
