news clips
  • Indiana needs between $12.4 and $13.9 billion over the course of 20 years to upgrade and improve water and wastewater infrastructure throughout the state.
  • Motor vehicle crashes cost Indiana $4.4 billion per year, $715 for each resident, in medical costs, lost productivity, travel delays, workplace costs, insurance costs and legal costs.
  • Americans rely almost exclusively on motor vehicles for mobility. Travel in private vehicles accounts for 88 percent of all person miles of travel. Air travel accounts for eight percent, while transit (including buses and trains) accounts for one percent.

current issues

BIC Meets with Indiana Congressmen

BIC took advantage of the summer congressional recess in late August and early September by meeting with Indiana Congressional leaders at industry sites. BIC met with four members of Indiana’s delegation to discuss the urgent need for federal highway reauthorization.

Congressman Baron Hill, representing Indiana’s 9th District, toured the new U.S. 231 construction site at Dale with representatives of J.H. Rudolph & Co., Inc. and Build Indiana Council on August 31.

Congressman Mike Pence, representing Indiana’s 6th District, met with representatives of Milestone Contractors, L.P. and E & B Paving, Inc. at the U.S. 27 site in Richmond on September 2.

In addition, BIC members met with Congressman Brad Ellsworth, representing Indiana’s 8th District and Congressman Joe Donnelly representing Indiana’s 2nd District.

The primary message conveyed during the visits was that Congress needs to pass a new federal highway reauthorization bill to allow construction projects to continue moving forward on the heels of stimulus, creating growth and employment opportunities in Indiana. In addition, we stressed that the reauthorization of the highway bill should:

  • Increase federal dollars coming back to Indiana for each year of the new bill as measured against Indiana's FY09 SAFETEA-LU funding;
  • Protect Indiana from retaliation as a result of our P3 on the Indiana Toll Road;
  • Preserve Indiana’s ability to fund our roads in any manner we wish;
  • Don't go backward in rate-of-return or actual cash from program;
  • Fully fund our highway needs;
  • Preserve highway user fees as a funding mechanism;
  • End diversions of federal fuel tax receipts to non-highway programs;
  • Streamline highway programs.


For a copy of BIC’s talking points on these issues click here.