U.S. to require passenger vehicles to have alarms for rear seat belts
Starting in September 2027, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have to sound a warning if rear-seat passengers don’t buckle up.
Interstates/Highways
Articles
State not entitled to ITCA immunity in case of woman injured on redesigned highway, COA affirms
The state of Indiana isn’t entitled to immunity in a case involving a woman who was paralyzed after stopping at the scene of an accident on a highway, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has affirmed.
Indiana bill to increase semi truck speed limits faces tough road ahead
A pair of bills filed in the Indiana Legislature seek to raise the speed limit for large trucks on certain state highways and interstates, but continued pushback from a Hoosier truck drivers group is likely to keep the measures from becoming law.
Ohio trucker gets 45 years for I-70 crash that killed 4 siblings
A truck driver whose semitrailer crashed into a car in an eastern Indiana road construction zone, killing four siblings, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Tow truck driver shot while trying to help motorist on I-70
A man was arrested after shooting and wounding a tow driver and taking his truck near an Interstate 70 rest stop southwest of Indianapolis on Friday.
Man, 19, arrested in Indianapolis freeway shooting
A 19-year-old Indianapolis man has been jailed in a shooting on Interstate 70 that left a 21-year-old motorist wounded.
Supreme Court affirms ruling for INDOT in injured motorist’s negligence case
An injured motorist who crashed his car into a tree after hydroplaning on Interstate 74 during a downpour did not convince the Indiana Supreme Court that his negligence suit against the Indiana Department of Transportation should proceed.
Split Supreme Court reverses summary judgment, immunity for INDOT in hydroplane lawsuit
Immunity for the Indiana Department of Transportation against a motorist’s personal injury lawsuit wasn’t appropriate because the agency knew of flooding issues on a northern Indiana highway for years and failed to remedy the problem before a woman was injured after her vehicle hydroplaned, a split Indiana Supreme Court has ruled.
Indiana to land $8.8 billion from U.S. infrastructure bill
Roughly $8.8 billion from the federal $1.2 trillion infrastructure package should head to Indiana over the next five years to improve crumbling highways, roads, bridges and more.
Indiana police get millions to help combat reckless driving
Police departments across Indiana are sharing in millions of dollars in federal grants intended to help curb reckless driving that’s led to an increase in fatal crashes during the pandemic.
Trucker plans guilty plea in Indiana crash that killed 4
A truck driver whose semitrailer crashed into a car along an eastern Indiana highway construction zone last year, killing four young siblings, has filed notice that he intends to plead guilty in the case.
$6 million project planned at President Harrison home
A $6 million upgrade is starting at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis that leaders say is aimed at increasing its visibility and connections with the surrounding neighborhood.
Indiana lawmakers approve state budget, finish session
Indiana lawmakers wrapped a legislative session conducted under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday with nearly unanimous backing of a more robust state budget than they had imagined a few months ago.
Police: Texas man allegedly crashed Indiana State Police car
A man wanted on a warrant in Texas allegedly stole and crashed an Indiana State Police car after a high-speed interstate chase, authorities said late Saturday.
White House issuing reports on states’ infrastructure needs
The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability. Among them, the administration says there is a roughly 4-in-10 chance that a public transit vehicle in Indiana might be ready for the scrap yard.
Senate gives Biden a big tool to work around GOP filibuster
With a powerful new tool, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has fresh options for potentially advancing President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package and other priorities past Republican obstruction in the 50-50 split Senate.
New to DC, Buttigieg looks to build bridges with Biden plan
The former South Bend mayor who became known in the 2020 presidential campaign as “Mayor Pete” has been meeting as transportation secretary with lawmakers of both parties to try to sell a roads, bridges and infrastructure program that President Joe Biden has likened to the building of the interstate highway system in the 1950s.
Biden’s ‘jobs Cabinet’ to sell infrastructure as GOP resists
President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, deputizing a five-member “jobs Cabinet,” including former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to help in the effort. But the enormity of his task is clear after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to oppose the plan “every step of the way.”
Reversal reinstates INDOT revocation of Hamilton County billboard permit
The Indiana Department of Transportation was within its authority to revoke longstanding permits for nonconforming billboards along State Road 32 in Hamilton County, an appeals court ruled, reversing regulatory and trial court rulings in favor of the billboard owners. A trade group had warned such a ruling could lead to billboard permit revocations “any time, for any reason.”
7th Circuit: Higher tolls on Indiana Toll Road not discriminatory
Truckers were unable to swerve around the higher fees charged on the Indiana Toll Road after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked their argument that the increased rates violated the Commerce Clause. The appellate court upheld dismissal of the lawsuit.