The U.S. Department of Transportation is granting Indiana $40 million to improve and expand I-65.
The interstate is one of the busiest in the country, with millions of drivers daily.
"It is a highway that is really one of the backbones of our entire transportation system,” INDOT Spokesperson Scott Manning says.
The funds will go toward adding a third lane in both directions in Boone and Bartholomew County, and will rehabilitate existing pavement and bridges along the segment. These improvements will extend the life of existing infrastructure by decades, according to Manning.
This will not be the state’s first effort to widen the interstate throughout Indiana. Previous projects completed in Lake and Clark County added lanes to the interstate, and a current project is underway through Columbus and Seymour with the same goal.
The project aims to ease congestion in busy areas and increase safety.
While a timeline is not set for construction, Manning says the federal funding will speed up the process.
