In the mid-1800s, Indiana had a canal system.
In the 1840s, Hoosiers traveled on plank roads built by private companies. Tolls were charged for usage.
The state’s transportation system was costly and debt-ridden.
About two centuries later, Indiana is faced with maintaining a highway system that continues growing in cost. Projects have been placed on pause because of federal funding snags.
There is talk, valid and indeed necessary, of implementing a tolling system along Interstate 70 as it crosses the state between Ohio and Illinois.
Our state has tolled highways. Far north, payment along the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road is based on the number of axles on a vehicle and driving distance. It’s been in operation since the 1950s.
Down south, the RiverLink project charges tolls for three bridges connecting Louisville with southern Indiana. There are no machines to throw coins into, no toll booths and no stopping. Count on a fourth toll bridge by 2031 between Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky.
Hoosiers are accustomed to toll roads. The plan to toll I-70 shouldn’t be a surprise; it’s been discussed in the legislature for more than five years. At its worst, tolling will be seen by Hoosiers as an inconvenience involving the purchase of an E-Z Pass monitor for a windshield or charting a route along city streets and county roads to avoid I-70.
And, as things stand, anyone traveling to the Indianapolis International Airport would possibly pay a toll.
Before any of this can proceed, the Indiana Department of Transportation needs approval from the Federal Highway Administration to establish a toll system on a federal route. Few waivers are awarded.
The Indiana Toll Road was operated by ITR Concession Co, which filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2014, leading to IFM Investors acquiring the remainder of a 75-year lease — 66 years— for $5.7 billion. Oversight of the operation is delegated to the Indiana Finance Authority and an oversight board.
Already, the Indiana General Assembly is pondering ways to handle tolling. House Bill 1319 would establish the use of transponders as the sole means to collect fees.
Senate Bill 149 would require Hoosiers who live in a county where there is a toll road to apply for credit to be added to their account for collection of future tolls, among other provisions.
The two bills have been referred to legislative committees.
Pending federal approval, tolling along I-70 has momentum. Details need to be fine-tuned.
Tolling has had a spotty financial record in Indiana, from the days of struggling canal operators to those of corporations filing bankruptcy in this millennium. It might be wise for the state to avoid taking on the operation and maintenance of a tolling system as extensive as I-70’s length.
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