Dear Fellow Hoosier,
Indiana is taking transportation and logistics to the next level. Let’s count the ways:
- Indiana truly is the crossroads of America. The Hoosier State is within a day’s drive of more than 50 percent of the populations of the U.S. and Canada. Indiana also is home to more pass through highways than any state in the U.S.
- With the April 2017 passage of House Enrolled Act 1002, Indiana now has a sustainable plan to fund roads and bridges for at least the next 20 years. In fact, Indiana has a fully funded asset management plan for every State-maintained road and bridge – something almost no other state can claim.
- Indiana cities, towns and counties benefit from an additional $342 million annually for local roads by 2024.
- Hoosier airports are the lifeblood for hundreds of companies across the state. The 117 public-use airports in Indiana have an economic output of more than $14 billion and support 69,000 jobs. In 2017, my administration and the General Assembly partnered to dedicate $5 million per year in the State’s new biennium budget to attract more direct flights to Indiana.
- Indiana’s three water ports handle over 25 million tons of cargo yearly, they contribute over $7.8 billion per year to the state economy and support nearly 60,000 jobs. Port activities annually contribute $3.4 billion in wages and salaries to Indiana workers and $328 billion in state and local taxes. My administration is now exploring the possibility of adding a 4th water port to Indiana’s economy.
- Each year, 1.5 billion tons of freight travel though Indiana, making it the fifth busiest state for commercial freight traffic. By 2040, freight flow is expected to increase by 60 percent.
- Indiana is home to more than 4,000 miles of active rail lines. The state ranks 4th in the nation in the number of railroads operating, 7th in carloads handled and 10th in millions of tons handled.
- I was proud to work with Northwest Indiana leaders in the most recent legislative session to create funding mechanisms for a $290 million project to double-track the South Shore commuter rail service. The project will cut commute time from Michigan City to downtown Chicago by 30 minutes and incentivize people who work in Chicago to live in Indiana.
- For 80 years, the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) has enjoyed a rich partnership with INDOT and higher education institutions as a premier vehicle for transportation research and innovation. The program generates innovative research and new knowledge to help solve current and future transportation challenges while improving efficiency and quality.
- Record investments in infrastructure over the last decade are getting Indiana noticed. In 2016, Indiana ranked #1 for infrastructure in CNBC’s “Top States for Business” rankings.
Transportation plays a major part in Indiana’s success story. Now, with a sustainable, data-driven plan in place to fund roads and bridges, Hoosiers can rest assured that Indiana will remain the Crossroads of America for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Eric J. Holcomb
Governor
Next Level Roads Construction Map
Use this interactive map to see current and future INDOT projects.