Indiana: Interstate construction averaged $46M per centerline mile in FY2026, up nearly 450% since 2015

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 2, 2026 that the Indiana Department of Transportation’s average cost to construct a centerline mile of interstate was $46 million in the 2026 state fiscal year (which ended in June), a rise of nearly 450% from the $8.4 million average in fiscal 2015. The article says those figures represent centerline miles built as part of full reconstruction or added travel lane plans.

The article attributes the higher average to INDOT’s recent mix of complex projects — naming Revive I-70 in Wayne County and Safer Drive 65 in Scott and Clark counties — and to cost drivers including lane replacements and additions, widened and rebuilt shoulders, barrier walls and guardrails, traffic and drainage control, materials and labor. It cites rising material costs (steel and concrete), the Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index (up more than 60% from 2020–2025), INDOT’s use of project bundling and alternative-delivery methods, competitive bidding rules, and competition with data centers for materials and equipment.

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