INDOT reports higher interstate construction costs per centerline mile in fiscal 2026, agency cites materials and project complexity

The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that a slide shared at a late‑August 2026 State Budget Committee meeting presented INDOT’s fiscal‑2026 average cost per centerline mile for interstate work. INDOT officials told the paper they see higher costs tied to steel and concrete price increases, maintenance‑of‑traffic complexity on projects such as Revive I‑70 and Safer Drive 65, and competition for materials and equipment with other sectors like data centers.

INDOT representatives quoted in the article described strategies the agency uses to manage spending and traffic impacts — including bundling projects, 20‑year asset‑management planning and “alternative delivery” methods that involve contractors earlier — and the article cites a change in the FHWA national highway construction cost index between 2020 and 2025.

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