Indiana panel may fund upgrades for welcome centers, more truck parking
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The State Budget Committee on Tuesday will consider spending nearly $256 million to reconstruct welcome centers and rest areas, and to add truck parking space.
These welcome centers will receive the updates:
- Black River: improvements to the welcome center and added truck parking. The center is on I-64 a few miles east of the Illinois border. The Indiana Department of Transportation broke ground on a new welcome center on eastbound I-64 in Posey County in June 2023.
- Centerville: improvements to the welcome center. The center is on I-70 a few miles west of Richmond.
- Clear Creek: improvements to the welcome center and added truck parking. The center, which is currently closed, is on I-70 a few miles east of the Illinois border. Indiana broke ground on the new center in May 2023.
- Kankakee: improvements to the welcome center and added truck parking. The center will be on I-65 about a 30-minute drive south of Gary. The revamped southbound center opened in October in Jasper County.
- Lebanon: improvements to the rest areas and added truck parking. The rest areas, which were listed as closed Monday on GPS maps, are on I-65 about a 40-minute drive northwest of downtown Indianapolis.
- Taylorsville: added truck parking. The rest area is on I-65 about a 50-minute drive southeast of downtown Indianapolis.
- Pigeon Creek: improvements to the welcome center and added truck parking. The center is on I-69 about a 20-minute drive south of the Michigan border.
The agenda item before the budget committee says, “The current Welcome Centers have not been positive first impressions for travelers and the new or reconstructed Centers will be gateways to Indiana with architectural elements that match the region in which they are located.
“In addition, due to the safety of truck drivers and demand for truck parking, many locations are increasing their available truck parking or expanding truck-only parking facilities. These additions are focused on areas that have the highest commercial truck crashes and peak capacity rates during overnight hours.”
The money would come from U.S. Department of Transportation funds supplied to Indiana’s State Highway Fund, the budget committee’s agenda says. It was not clear from the agenda if the added spending is part of $600 million that the Indiana Department of Transportation had announced in August to invest in rest stops and welcome centers over 10 years.
The budget committee will meet starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Senate Appropriations Room 431 of the Indiana Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis.