Gov. Mike Pence schedules roads announcement today

UPDATE: Gov. Mike Pence will make what his office calls "a major infrastructure announcement" at a 1:30 p.m. news conference Tuesday at the INDOT Traffic Management Center, 8620 E. 21st Street.

EARLIER: Gov. Mike Pence is planning an infrastructure announcement on Tuesday, likely aimed at improving roads.

His office isn't sharing details, but the governor has previously said he is considering dipping into the state’s $2.14 billion in reserves as a short-term solution for road and bridge improvements.

The announcement comes amid a political fight over the condition of the state's bridges and highways. Unions and Democrats including presumed nominee for governor John Gregg have blamed Pence for the monthlong shutdown of 33 miles of I-65 due to a broken bridge and tens of millions of dollars in potentially faulty road projects first disclosed last month in The Indianapolis Star.

Pence and the Indiana Department of Transportation have fired back, unleashing a torrent of press releases and tweets in recent days defending the administration's record.

"Accusations that Indiana’s infrastructure is 'crumbling' are irresponsible and false and only scare the public," Pence retweeted on Tuesday.

But the administration has acknowledged that INDOT is examining more than 170 recent road projects amid concerns that contractors used a faulty asphalt mix that could cause roads to crumble years earlier than anticipated. The agency is already seeking $5 million from Brooks Construction, a contractor responsible for a 3-mile stretch of the Hoosier Heartland highway near Logansport that INDOT says is cracking and falling apart prematurely.

But lawmakers — including some of Pence's fellow Republicans — have expressed skepticism about the Pence administration's assertion that contractors alone are to blame. Brooks Construction and other industry representatives have emphasized that INDOT approved the mix designs and asphalt used in the projects, suggesting the state's specifications are to blame.

Pence has also defended his administration's handling of the I-65 shutdown, noting that new construction — not neglect — caused the northbound bridge over Wildcat Creek near Lafayette to sink more than a foot.

The governor's announcement is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at INDOT's Traffic Management Center on the city's Westside.

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.