(INDIANAPOLIS) – The just-passed infrastructure bill will send nearly $9 billion to Indiana over the next decade.
About three-quarters of the money is earmarked for roads. INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness says the federal funding will speed up the timetable for some projects already on INDOT’s seven-year plan. The long-discussed vision of making I-65 and I-70 six lanes wide from border to border is one project likely to move up.
INDOT had 1,300 road projects for this year’s construction season. McGuinness says that list is likely to be longer in the coming years, but because the long-term plan is already in place, the agency won’t need to review what projects to do. And McGuinness says the money gives INDOT a cushion for any emergency needs which pop up.
The White House says the bill will deliver $6.6 billion in highway funding to Indiana. INDOT will also receive $100 million to expand Indiana’s network of electric-vehicle charging stations.
INDOT’s also responsible for distributing more than a billion dollars to local authorities to spend on bridges, airports, and public transit. A similar amount will go to other agencies for items like water and sewer lines and broadband.
McGuinness cautions one of the first tasks will be to review the 2,000-page bill to understand what rules or restrictions may be included on what projects are eligible for funding.
