Indiana wants to toll I-70 and drivers could pay up to $84

Indiana plans to charge drivers on I-70

Indiana wants to put tolls on Interstate 70 for the first time.

Gov. Mike Braun’s administration has proposed charging passenger vehicles 10 cents per mile and large trucks 54 cents per mile along all 156 miles of I-70.

A car crossing the full stretch from the Ohio border to the Illinois border would pay about $15.60. A semi-truck making the same trip would owe around $84.24.

The highway is old and underfunded

I-70 opened in the 1960s as a four-lane road, and most of it has never been widened. Only 37 of its 156 miles have been expanded to six or more lanes.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) says the remaining 112 miles need to be rebuilt. Without toll money, INDOT projects it would take 89 years to finish the work using existing funds.

Gas tax revenue has slowed as more drivers switch to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

Much of I-70 is in rough shape

More than 60% of I-70’s pavement rates poorly or fairly on a federal scale. Most bridges along the route rate only “fair.”

According to INDOT, 115 miles of the highway have safety concerns based on crash history. The state says widening four-lane stretches to six lanes could cut fatal crashes by about 32%.

That safety argument sits at the center of Indiana’s case for moving forward with tolls.

The price tag runs into the billions

Widening and rebuilding I-70 would cost about $5.4 billion in 2025 dollars.

Once you factor in inflation and financing costs through 2035, the total climbs to around $6.5 billion. INDOT plans to cover the work through a mix of toll revenue bonds and tolls collected during construction.

The state does not plan to use traditional toll booths.

Instead, overhead gantries would scan vehicles electronically as they pass through, with no need to slow down or stop.

A new law made this possible

Gov. Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1461 into law on May 1, 2025. The law gave INDOT the authority to apply for federal permission to toll any interstate highway in Indiana.

It also removed old restrictions on tolling near existing toll roads and allowed the Indiana Finance Authority to take on transportation debt for the first time in nearly two decades.

The door is now open for potential future tolls on I-65, I-69, I-465, and other interstates.

The federal government must say yes first

INDOT filed its application with the Federal Highway Administration on Sept. 8, 2025. The application became public this week after a records request by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Indiana applied under a federal pilot program that lets up to three states toll existing interstates to fund reconstruction they could not otherwise afford.

No state has ever successfully used this program in its more than 25 years of existence. As of this week, federal officials have not responded to Indiana’s request.

Not everyone supports the plan

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates and NATSO, a trade group for truck stops and travel plazas, have lobbied against the proposal. Trucking companies argue they would pay far more to move goods across the state.

Some Indiana residents say tolls amount to a new tax on drivers who have no other option.

The Hoosier Environmental Council has questioned why the state is spending billions on a new highway project called the Mid-States Corridor while also asking drivers to pay to fix an existing road.

Backers say there is no other way

Gov. Braun has said the state’s current cash flow cannot support major highway work.

State Rep. Jim Pressel, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, has said gas tax revenue covers basic maintenance but falls short of funding a full six-lane expansion.

Some Republican lawmakers have said they see no realistic alternative.

Indiana is the first state to formally apply under this federal pilot program, and officials in several other states are watching to see what happens.

Tolls could start in early 2029

If the federal government approves the plan, tolls could go live in early 2029.

Construction on toll-funded projects would begin in 2028, with the full rebuild expected to take eight to 10 years. INDOT and the Indiana Finance Authority would oversee the program.

The state also has the option to bring in private partners for maintenance and operations. Drivers who do not want to pay the toll can use U.S. 40, which runs parallel to I-70 across the state.

The decision is now in federal hands

The Federal Highway Administration has no set timeline for a response.

If Indiana wins approval, it would become the first state to toll an existing interstate under the pilot program. The state would still need to complete a federal environmental review that includes public input.

Traffic studies would also need to assess how tolls might push vehicles onto other roads, including I-465 around Indianapolis. Toll rates could be adjusted over time depending on traffic and project costs.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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