INDOT says FY2026 interstate construction averaged $46M per centerline mile, up nearly 450% since FY2015

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 2, 2026 that INDOT’s average cost to construct a centerline mile of interstate was $46 million in the 2026 state fiscal year, which ended in June 2026, compared with an $8.4 million average in fiscal 2015. The article says the FY2026 average included two complicated projects: Revive I-70 in Wayne County and Safer Drive 65 in Scott and Clark counties.

The story attributes higher costs to material-price inflation, supply-chain shortages, pandemic effects, tariffs and competing demand (including from data centers), and notes the Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index rose more than 60% from 2020 through 2025. INDOT is described as bundling projects, using competitive bidding and alternative-delivery methods with early contractor involvement; INDOT spokeswoman Natalie Garrett is cited on those practices and their aims.

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