INDIANAPOLIS — Today the Indiana Democratic Party announced its support of the statewide road funding policy proposal by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett that would build upon recent city budgets providing for historic investments in road, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure.
Under the state’s current road funding formula, nearly half of Indiana’s infrastructure funding requires a burdensome application and approval process, and the remaining dollars are distributed based on the length of a road, with no regard to how many lanes wide it is. As a result, Indianapolis and its suburban counties – along with many other metro areas across the state – receive far less funding on a per-driver basis.
In advance of an upcoming state legislative task force aimed at addressing the state’s infrastructure gap, Mayor Joe is advocating to combine all of the state’s road funding into one predictable source of revenue, and then distribute those tax dollars to local units of government based on the total vehicle miles traveled on those roads.
This common sense approach means communities throughout central Indiana, including Brownsburg, Plainfield, Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood, Anderson, and Martinsville would see millions more in road funding every year. Hamilton County would see $16 million in extra infrastructure funding, and Johnson and Hendricks would each get $8 million more. In addition, other population centers would see boosts including South Bend, Evansville, and Hammond.
It’s another example of where Mayor Joe is leading and Republican mayoral nominee Jefferson Shreve is simply leaving Indianapolis voters looking for answers about what he stands for.
“Jefferson still has yet to release any comprehensive policy plans, and seems to think that he can just buy the voters of Indianapolis with TV ads, drone footage, and partisan attacks. When it comes to substance, Jefferson really is No Show Shreve,” said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl. “Mayor Joe is focused on moving Indianapolis, and the regional economy of central Indiana, into the future by investing in and protecting all road users. His infrastructure budget proposal, combined with advocating for state funding changes, will ensure millions more in funding to keep pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers safe when going to work and school.”
Under Mayor Joe’s leadership, city funding for infrastructure has already grown from $78 million in 2017 to $252 million this year. Today’s announcement included $25 million in new funding for neighborhood-specific road paving, and over $5 million toward revitalizing city alleyways. Other initiatives include improved enforcement on vehicles that park in bike lanes.
Today’s policy announcement would invest in flashing signage to help students get to and from school safely. Mayor Joe also announced city support behind state legislation proposed by Democrats that would allow the use of speed cameras in school zones, like the legislature allowed for construction zones this year.
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