INDOT: interstate construction averaged $46M per centerline mile in FY2026 as costs surge

Indiana Capital Chronicle reported Oct. 2, 2026 that INDOT’s FY2026 average cost to construct a centerline mile of interstate — defined as full reconstruction or added travel lane projects — was $46 million. The article says the figure was shown on a slide at a State Budget Committee meeting in late August and includes major projects such as Revive I-70 (Wayne County) and Safer Drive 65 (Scott and Clark counties).

The story attributes rising costs to a national Federal Highway Administration construction-cost index that rose more than 60% from 2020 through 2025 and to factors INDOT spokeswoman Natalie Garrett cited: higher material prices, supply shortages and pandemic effects. Contractors and observers quoted in the article also noted heavier use of steel, concrete and more complex maintenance-of-traffic work on large projects.

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