INDOT is making record investments to preserve and maintain Indiana’s existing roads, bridges and infrastructure.
INDOT’s priorities reflect the wishes of Indiana taxpayers, who said in multiple customer satisfaction surveys that repairing and maintaining existing highways and bridges – taking care of what we have – are the most critical items for INDOT. A heightened focus on preserving existing transportation assets also represents the best use of taxpayer dollars.
INDOT manages and maintains more than 11,200 centerline miles (over 29,600 lane miles) of interstate highways, U.S. highways, or state routes in Indiana. INDOT owns and maintains more than 5,700 bridges across Indiana.
In Fiscal Years 2012-18, INDOT invested $3.19 billion to rehabilitate, replace, resurface, or patch Indiana highways and rehabilitate, replace, or repair INDOT-owned bridges.
Regularly scheduled preservation and maintenance activities preserve and protect INDOT pavement and bridges, extending the life of these assets, and ensuring the safety of motorists.
Pavement Preservation
Pavement preservation activities include resurfacing, crack sealing, chip sealing, pothole repair and storm water drainage maintenance. Benefits of pavement preservation include a smoother ride, fewer construction delays, better appearance, greater value, lower taxpayer cost, and improved safety.
Preservation and maintenance activities represent a significant savings to taxpayers. A lane mile of highway can cost more than $12 million to build. Reconstructing a road in poor condition can cost as much as 10 times more than the preservation work needed to keep a road in good condition. Just $1 spent on chip or crack sealing, for example, can save $6 to $14 on future repairs.
In FY 2012-18:
- INDOT invested $1.79 billion while completing or starting 874 contracts to rehabilitate, replace, resurface, or patch more than 4,314 centerline miles of Indiana roadways.
- INDOT maintenance crews and contractors chip sealed 10,365 lane miles and crack sealed 42,187 lane miles of pavement.
More than 90 percent of INDOT pavement is rated in fair or better condition.
Bridge Preservation
INDOT bridge preservation activities are designed to prevent, delay, or mitigate deterioration. Preservation activities include inspection, cleaning, bridge deck overlay, and substructure or superstructure repair. Each INDOT bridge requires major rehabilitation every 15 to 20 years.
Benefits of bridge preservation activities include a reduction in the number of bridges, large culverts, and small culverts with key condition ratings varying from good/fair to poor, and an overall increase in the percentage of bridges, large culverts, and small culverts with condition ratings of fair or better.
In FY 2012-18:
- INDOT invested $1.4 billion through 2,261 contracts to rehabilitate, replace, or repair bridges.
- The percentage of INDOT bridges rated as fair or better increased from 91.8 percent to 95.6 percent.
- The percentage of INDOT-maintained bridges rated as structurally deficient decreased 57 percent.
In FY 2018, less than 3 percent of all INDOT-maintained interstate, U.S. highway, or state route bridges were rated as structurally deficient.
Local Infrastructure Investment.
- In FY 2012-18, INDOT invested nearly $1.1 billion to build, replace, or repair local roads and bridges.
- This amount includes $821 million for more than 817 contracts to rehabilitate, replace, resurface, or patch local roads, and $273 million in 253 contracts to rehabilitate, replace, or repair local bridges.