Pete Buttigieg talks transportation improvements in Indiana
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg talks about the future of transportation in Indiana after he spoke at Cummins headquarters Aug. 31, 2023.
Jenna Watson, Indianapolis Star
President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is starting to trickle down to states in tangible ways ― hence, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s recent visit to Indiana.
Indiana is spending its share of the money through state agencies, federal projects, local governments and transit agencies. Here’s what IndyStar found:
From 2021: New details on what Indiana will get from Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill
A dashboard of specific projects can also be viewed here.
INDOT
Indiana Department of Transportation has received the bulk in this category. Over five years, INDOT expects to receive $7 billion for road work covered by federal dollars, which is about a third more than it would typically receive; plus, $100 million for building an electric vehicle network and $156 million to develop a strategy to reduce carbon emissions on roads. This includes:
- $1.1 billion for state roads and bridges, of which $330 million is new money. In that time, the agency saw an average 35% increase in the price of construction materials, so this money helped INDOT continue along with its planned projects, including the North Split and connecting Evansville to Indianapolis via I-69.
- $373 million for local roads and bridges, of which $110 million is new money.
- $36 million for the electric vehicle program, an new program. INDOT has created a deployment plan and is now taking applications from potential owner-operators who want to build out electric vehicle fast-charging sites.
- $61 million for the Carbon Reduction Strategy, which requires INDOT to reduce emissions through switching its vehicles to alternative fuels, building infrastructure that encourages non-car transportation, and more.
Indianapolis International Airport
Indiana airports expect to receive $170 million over five years directly from the Biden infrastructure law to invest in runways, safety projects and terminals.
- $68 million has been released so far, including about $29 million to the Indianapolis Airport Authority. Most of that $29 million is going toward the Indianapolis International Airport’s runway reconstruction.
IndyGo and public transit
Indiana’s public transit agencies are expected to receive about $670 million, a 30% increase over existing federal funding levels, to improve sustainable transportation options.
- $129 million has been allocated through June 2023. This money goes toward repairing vehicles, improving service and making transit stations ADA-compliant.
- Beyond that, IndyGo received a competitive $33 million grant toward building a new bus garage at its East Campus headquarters near 30th Street and Post Road.
Indianapolis successfully applied for a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant to go toward a city project that would convert eight downtown one-way streets to two-way streets, including sections of Capitol and College avenues, and Illinois, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Alabama, New Jersey and East streets.
Broadband
By the Indiana Broadband Office’s last count, there are 180,000 home addresses in the state that are unserved or underserved, meaning they have scant internet access or their speed is less than 100 megabits per second of download speed and 20 megabits per second of upload speed. The office will receive $868 million over five years to connect as many addresses as possible to fiber-optic cable, or at minimum, get them all up to 100/20 speed using wireless connections.
The office hasn’t yet received much of that money. In 2022, the office received a $5 million planning grant, which it’s using to:
- Build a five-year action plan and implementation proposal due by the end of this year, after which it can receive the first 20% of its anticipated $868 million.
- Add 10 new positions to the office.
- Contract with Ready.net to map out every Indiana address and their internet speed.
DNR for environment around cold mines
The Department of Natural Resources has a program dedicated to cleaning up and restoring the environment in and around abandoned coal mines. States apply for federal funding every year to do this, and Indiana typically receives $5 million to $6 million a year. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is giving Indiana’s program a major boost: $400 million over 15 years, or $25 million a year. DNR has already received the first $25 million.
The Indiana Finance Authority will receive about $130 million each year for five years to build and improve water infrastructure in order to supply cleaner drinking water. The Indiana Finance Authority has received the first year’s worth of funding, $43 million of which is dedicated to replacing lead pipes ― the first-ever dedicated federal funding stream for that. Already, the federal money has funded lead service line replacements in Elkhart, Fort Wayne and Logansport.
Energy and housing
The Indiana Office of Energy Development and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority have generally received more funding for existing programs:
- State Energy Program, which doles out grants to local energy infrastructure and resilience projects: $9 million awarded, compared to about $1 million in a typical year
- Weatherization Assistance Program, which makes homes more energy-efficient: $90 million to be spent over five years, or about $18 million a year, compared to about $8 million in a typical year
Under a new program, the Grid Resilience Grant Program, Indiana will receive $23 million over five years to strengthen electric grid infrastructure’s ability to withstand disruptions. DOE so far received $9 million and is soliciting project proposals.
Cybersecurity
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security will administer Indiana’s portion of the $1 billion allocated over four years to help state and local governments defend against cyber attacks. Indiana’s allocation amounts to $20 million, which is entirely new money.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.
