- Indiana passed a bill that broadly enables it to implement interstate tolls pending FHWA approval.
- With the law, Indiana became the first state to authorize tolling for all its interstate routes.
- The law comes as regulators doubt the capabilities of the Highway Trust Fund’s fuel taxes to support surface transportation.
Indiana wants to toll its interstate highways to increase funding. The state in May passed House Bill 1461 into Public Law 173, which authorizes the state to request federal approval for tolls on any interstate route.
“If the department, with the approval of the governor, decides to establish toll lanes, the department shall submit a request to the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll lanes on interstate highways,” the law’s text says. “If a waiver is granted under this section, the toll lanes may be established in accordance with this title.”
The law makes Indiana the first state to authorize tolling for all its interstate routes, which include well-traveled freight lanes such as Interstates 64, 65, 69, 70, 71, 80, and 90…