© 2025 Northeast Indiana Public Radio
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Public File 89.1 WBOI

Listen Now · on iPhone · on Android
NPR News and Diverse Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support for WBOI.org comes from:

Lawmakers explore new, expanded road funding options — include tolling, delivery tax

A road sign reads "Road Closed."
FILE PHOTO: Justin Hicks
/
IPB News
Local governments across Indiana will need nearly $1 billion in new funding per year over the next decade just to maintain roads and bridges in their current condition, according to the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program.

Indiana House Roads and Transportation Committee Chair Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) proposed a bill Monday that provides a variety of new or expanded options for state and local road funding.

What followed were stakeholders agreeing to the need for more funding, but objecting to the options they’d be affected by.

HB 1461 includes expanded authority to toll Indiana interstates, a new local tax option on retail deliveries, and increased pressure on local governments to pass maximum wheel and excise taxes.

READ MORE: Local roads, bridges need billions of dollars a year over the next decade to maintain conditions

Gary Langston lobbies for trucking companies. He said the funding emergency the state says is coming isn’t as imminent as many think. And he objected to any new tolling.

“Increasing the cost to move freight is a precursor to increased consumer prices,” Langston said. “The impact will ultimately be seen on your dinner table and on the goods you purchased.”

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group: the Indiana Two-Way. Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project Civically, Indiana and our 2025 bill tracker.

Natalie Robinson lobbies for small businesses, which she said will be particularly hurt by a tax on deliveries.

“Small businesses might face challenges if larger competitors can absorb these fees without passing them on to consumers,” Robinson said.

The measure would also prohibit the Indiana Economic Development Corporation from providing economic development incentives to private companies unless those companies agree to help pay for any state and local infrastructure impacted by their project.

Indy Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Jenna Bentley said that raises issues.

“Could delay and stall important projects,” Bentley said.

The bill will likely be up for a vote in future weeks.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Tags
Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.