Lawmakers debate sweeping road-funding bill that would expand local options, add community-crossings tiers and create a path to tolling

Representative Pressell opened discussion of House Bill 1461 as the committeeshifted to a broad road-funding proposal intended to address projected shortfalls in road and bridge funding. "There are a lot of options in this bill. Some of them good, some of them bad," the sponsor told the committee, and said he "does not have support for everything in this bill" but emphasized the need to develop sustainable funding options.

Representative Pressell described several core elements of the bill: expanding wheel-tax availability for counties above a population threshold, creating two $100 million tiers in the Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG) program with the second tier available to counties of 100,000 population or more plus all cities and towns, lowering matching requirements for smaller units, directing additional Marion County funding ($50 million) for secondary streets if matched locally, and tying some motor-vehicle-highway (MVH) restricted-fund flexibility to local pavement-management performance (a PASER rating of 6 or better and fewer than 15% failing assets). The bill would also reinstate the "Local Tracks" program for grade-crossing projects and direct a request for information on new road-assessment technologies.

On the subject of tolling, Representative Pressell said the bill would instruct the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to submit a…