New Tolls At the Michigan State Line Get One Concrete Step Closer Thanks to Indiana Senate

The state of Indiana has been debating a funding bill that would vastly expand the state's toll roads and likely place tolls at the Michigan state line. That plan got much closer to reality after it was passed by the Indiana Senate.

Currently the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 80-90 across much of the state) runs along the northern tier of Indiana counties and within mere feet of the Michigan border. Many who reside in communities like Sturgis, Niles and New Buffalo are no stranger to commuting on the Toll Road. But an expansion of tolls at the Michigan line on interstates that connect Michigan and Indiana would likely feel very different.

Specifically, the bill passed in Indianapolis would, if signed by the Governor - and there's no reason to think it won't be as the state house and legislature is fully under Republican control - authorize the state to request a toll road waiver from the federal Department of Transportation to allow Indiana to levy tolls on all other interstates within its borders.

Specific to Michigan that means I-94 at the state line in New Buffalo and I-69 south of Coldwater.

Other currently toll-free mainline Indiana interstates that could become fee roads are I-65, I-70, I-74 and I-64.

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A discussion on the subreddit of Reddit dedicated to Northwest Indiana speculates that The Region will be the first in the state to see new tolls.

Anybody want to guess where the first toll booths will get built? I'm putting my money on Lake and Porter counties.

It's almost certainly going to be up here. NWI is where so much tax revenue comes in for the state, but also it's like the black sheep of the state.

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That is not only a very busy commercial trucking corridor but also the main route for anyone leaving Michigan to visit Chicago or virtually anywhere west.

Toll roads and alterative funding have been a hot topic for states and local municipalities facing budget shortfalls. In Michigan, Bay City leased its bridges to a tolling company and has been met with community outrage over price hikes. The Ohio legislature has been consider a toll road between Michigan and the Toledo area with Columbus - a key corridor in that state where the two metros do not have a direct freeway connection.

The state of Michigan, for what it's worth, while having toll bridges has never been a proponent of toll roads, despite a 1950s era Michigan Turnpike Commission to study them, or the EZ Pass system.