State governor Mike Pence has announced his support for the release of $200m for highway projects around Indiana, US.

Pence will ask the State Budget Committee to review his decision to release the remaining amount that is set aside for the highway construction programme, ‘Major Moves 2020’. He has also signed HEA 1002 into law, following the 2014 legislative session.

The act invested $200m in interstate expansion projects and set aside the additional amount for release pending December’s revenue forecast.

The State Budget Committee is a bi-partisan group of the legislative and executive branch.

"When we call ourselves the Crossroads of America, we need to have the roads to back it up."

Pence said: "When we call ourselves the Crossroads of America, we need to have the roads to back it up.

"Projected revenue reports show good overall financial health for the state and I am confident an additional $200 million can be invested in a fiscally responsible way to put Hoosiers to work on Indiana’s infrastructure."

In 2016, design-build contracts will be bid and will expand three heavily-traveled sections of four-lane interstates.

The contracts include I-65 from State Road 44 near Franklin to Main Street in Greenwood, I-65 from Sellersburg (Exit 9) to Memphis (Exit 16) in Clark County and I-69 from State Road 37 in Fishers to Southeastern/Campus Parkway (Exit 210) in Hamilton County.

Construction on two contracts that have been awarded with the initial funding and construction is expected to begin later in the year.

They include I-65 from Main Street in Greenwood to Southport Road in Indianapolis and I-65 in the Lafayette area from State Road 38 to State Road 25.