Indiana to receive billions of dollars from infrastructure bill

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Federal help is on its way to Indiana.

Under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, Indiana gets $6.6 billion to improve highways. The state will also get $401 million to repair and rebuild bridges.

“We’ve already been talking to the folks at INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) about how this is going to help fill in the gaps on some of their improvements to I-70 (and) I-65,” Majority Floor Leader Mark Messmer, a Jasper Republican, said.

“We’re going to have roads that are smooth and that cars won’t get torn up from driving down,” Minority Leader Greg Taylor, an Indianapolis Democrat, said.

Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Indiana is expected to receive $100 million over five years to support the expansion of the an electric vehicle charging network in the state.

“Our state revenue as well as our federal revenues systems are very reliant on consumption of gasoline, and as we continue to see the auto manufacturers shifting to more electric vehicles, that’s a big question mark that I think both state and federal officials are going to have to look closely at in the next five to 10 years,” the executive director of the Build Indiana Council, Brian Gould, said.

More than $750 million will go toward improving the state’s water systems, and a minimum of $100 million will be used to help improve broadband internet access across the state.

“Obviously, anything we can do to enhance broadband availability to people in unserved areas will be of benefit to the state, so we’re looking forward to that,” Messmer said.

Additionally, $170 million is anticipated to go toward infrastructure improvements at the state’s airports.