Although Lyndsay Quist has worked at the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for over a decade, she is only a few months into her new role as the department’s Commissioner.

Today, Quist manages a department with a headcount of roughly 3,500 people across six districts: Crawfordsville, Fort Wayne, Greenfield, LaPorte, Seymour, and Vincennes. She had previously worked in the LaPorte district, shepherding $500 million in delivered construction projects. INDOT’s work includes overseeing over 29,000 lane miles of highways and 5,700 bridges, as well as about 4,500 rail miles and public airports.

“With my previous roles, there were parts of the agency I'd been around, but I wasn't as familiar with some of their day-to-day operations or initiatives and some of those types of things,” Quist said. “A lot of my background comes from design and project delivery. So [I’ve been] getting more familiar with operations and some of those initiatives. Also getting to know industry. I know several within the industry. But also, with the new role comes new challenges and opportunities ... [like] the opportunity to get out there and for them to see and meet with me and learn from their experiences.”

Quist kickstarted her career in transportation infrastructure by studying civil engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

“I liked some of the variety that was offered through civil engineering,” she said. “You could be completely in-office or completely in the field or somewhere in between, depending on your interests. And through my career, I've kind of done a mix of that, which I enjoyed. I also enjoy that you can point to and see the projects.”

Your local Case Construction Equipment Inc dealer
Burris Equipment

She graduated in 2006, and in 2007, she joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, Louisiana, less than two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“I was very proud to be working on the infrastructure, the flood risk reduction system, the levees, and the flood walls and all of that,” Quist said. “But also, just seeing how much those communities were affected and the rebuilding that happened from when I moved there to when I moved back to the Midwest, and the growth that happened because of the reliable infrastructure and things along those lines. It's inspiring to see that.”

After more than five years in Louisiana, Quist returned to Indiana and joined INDOT in 2013, where she has worked ever since. Including her current role, she has held six roles in the department: Design Engineer, Design and Environmental Manager LaPorte, Capital Program Management Director LaPorte, Managing Director of Project Delivery, Deputy Commissioner Capital Program Management, and now, Commissioner. In her role as Managing Director of Project Delivery, her team had a $2.5 billion estimated annual investment and an over 90 percent project delivery rate. Quist holds Professional Engineer licenses from Indiana and Louisiana and a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced Quist’s new role in March 2025. Her appointment followed a less than three-month tenure in the role by Kent Abernathy.

Your local LeeBoy dealer
Brandeis Machinery

“As the Crossroads of America, our roads and transportation are critical for driving economic growth in our state,” Braun said in a press release. “Lyndsay Quist's experience of over a decade with INDOT, as well as her experience as an engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has prepared her well to step into this role and serve Hoosiers."

Quist commutes to her office in Indianapolis from Carmel, Indiana, a city of roughly 100,000 (according to U.S. Census data) just north of the state capitol. Carmel has a unique infrastructure-related claim to fame: At 150 roundabouts, it beats out every other city in the country.

In her day job, Quist has her hands in several significant projects and initiatives currently underway across the state.

“There can be a lot of positive impacts with infrastructure for people in society, and so it's really great to see that and see development come, or the connectivity or the safety improvements,” Quist said. “I really enjoy and get fulfillment in seeing some of that happen through our projects.”

Your local Leica Geosystems Inc dealer
Laser Specialist inc

One major project on INDOT’s docket is a bridge and roadway project spanning from Evansville, Indiana, to Henderson, Kentucky, over the Ohio River. INDOT is collaborating with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on the project, which is scheduled for completion by 2031.

“Ourselves and Kentucky have let contracts to build their approach bridge, but we still need to build section two,” Quist said. “The sensitivity of completing that connection and the importance of it for our two states, that is a big one.”

The approaches on each side of the river are currently under construction, and the construction on the four-lane river crossing is expected to start in 2027. In late 2024, ORX Constructors — a joint venture that includes Walsh Construction and Traylor Bros., Inc. — began work on the Indiana approach, funded by a $202 million INDOT contract. That section is scheduled for completion next year.

Begun in 2022, this $471 million construction project adds lanes to a section of Interstate 465 and redesigns the point where it meets Interstate 69 in Indianapolis. E&B Paving, Rieth-Riley Construction, and Gradex are collaborating on both portions of the project, which is scheduled to wrap next year.

Your local Wirtgen America dealer
Brandeis Machinery

According to the project website, “the project will transform one of the state’s busiest interchanges with efficient, high-capacity ramps for I-465 and I-69 that reduce traffic weaving and merging.”

The project also includes the construction of 14 bridges and widening of two others, changes to ramps, maintenance work, and more.

INDOT’s ProPEL studies invite the public to provide input on future transportation projects. In June, INDOT published a collection of reports culminating from studies on the future of U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 31 in the state. Another study is underway in Indianapolis, focusing on Interstates 65 and 70 inside Interstate 465.

“We've had a lot of stakeholder interest in the interstates and the connectivity that we provide with those and what the future of that could look like, as well as impacts to the city and the surrounding areas,” Quist said. “So those have been some that we're excited about, and [we’re] looking forward to next steps and how that looks for the future.”

Your local Takeuchi Mfg Ltd dealer
Brandeis Machinery

One of INDOT’s goals, as stated on its website, is to reduce construction work zone incidents, and the department has several initiatives in support of this goal.

The Worksite Speed Control Pilot Program, also known as Indiana Safe Zones, is currently running at the Clear Path I-465/I-69 project as well as a site on Interstate 65 in Lake County.

“We have two construction sites active right now where we have speed enforcement cameras that issue civil penalties,” Quist said. “You start with a warning, and then it escalates to a $75 fine for your first, and then it can go up from there.”

“Overall, the program has been successful in slowing drivers down,” Quist said in a June press release about the program. “Slower speeds create safer conditions not only for road workers, but also for drivers and their passengers.”

Your local Trimble Construction Division dealer
SITECH Indiana
SITECH Mid-South
SITECH Ohio

Another initiative aimed at work zone safety is the Protect the Queue Program, which began in 2020 and uses signage on trucks ahead of work zones to warn drivers to prepare to stop.

“We've often found with some of the work site accidents, the crashes happen in the queue, not necessarily in the work zone. So [we are] trying to warn drivers ahead of time if there's slow or stop conditions in the work zone,” Quist said. “The answer isn't just always adding another orange sign.”