Indiana DOT costs: state averaged $46M per interstate centerline mile in FY2026, says report

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported on Oct. 2, 2026, that Indiana spent an average of $46 million to construct a centerline mile of interstate highway in fiscal year 2026. The article says that average included the Revive I-70 project in Wayne County and the Safer Drive 65 project in Scott and Clark counties, and it reports the FY2026 average is up nearly 450% from a $8.4 million average in fiscal 2015.

The story attributes higher costs to inflation in material prices, supply-chain shortages and pandemic effects and cites industry comments that modern interstate projects often require more complex traffic-maintenance set-ups. It also notes that the Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index rose by more than 60% from 2020 through 2025, and that the per-mile averages include items such as lane replacements, shoulders, barriers, drainage and traffic control.

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