Indiana paid an average $46M per centerline mile for interstate construction in FY2026, up nearly 450% since 2015

This brief is based on an Indiana Capital Chronicle report by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz published Oct. 2, 2026. The story reports Indiana’s fiscal-year 2026 average cost to construct a centerline mile of interstate was $46 million — up nearly 450% from a $8.4 million average in fiscal 2015 — and that the FY2026 figure included work on the Revive I-70 project (Wayne County) and Safer Drive 65 (Scott and Clark counties).

The article cites INDOT spokeswoman Natalie Garrett and industry consultant Brian Gould identifying drivers of higher costs: national construction-cost inflation (the FHWA index rose more than 60% from 2020–2025), pricier steel and concrete, supply-chain and pandemic effects, competition for materials and equipment from data-center construction, more complex urban work and traffic-control needs. It also notes INDOT bundles projects, uses competitive bidding and alternative delivery approaches and relies on 20-year asset-management plans, per the source.

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