Indiana DOT average interstate construction cost rose to $46M per centerline mile in FY2026, Indiana Capital Chronicle reports

Indiana Capital Chronicle reports Indiana spent an average of $46 million to construct a centerline mile of interstate highway in the 2026 state fiscal year (which the article says ended in June). The average included the Revive I-70 project in Wayne County and Safer Drive 65 work in Scott and Clark counties and is up nearly 450% from the $8.4 million average recorded in fiscal year 2015.

The article attributes rising costs to national construction-cost inflation (the Federal Highway Administration’s index rose more than 60% from 2020 through 2025) and local factors cited by sources: higher prices for steel, concrete and other materials; competition from large projects and data centers for materials and equipment; and added expense from complex maintenance-of-traffic and urban work. It also notes INDOT’s practices—20-year asset-management plans, project bundling, competitive bidding and alternative delivery methods—to limit traffic impacts and manage risk.

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