Applying for road funding for the second year in a row was successful for Crothersville.
On Wednesday, officials learned the town would receive $217,480.80 from the 2018 Next Level Roads: Community Crossings Initiative.
On Thursday in Jennings County, Gov. Eric Holcomb presented checks to local governments awarded state matching funds for road construction projects.
Crothersville Town Council President Danieta Foster, Street Superintendent Mike Deaton and Sewer Superintendent Chris Mains represented the town.
The money will allow Crothersville to complete 10 projects in 2019. The total cost is $293,000, so the town will have to fund the difference, Deaton said.
“That’s a very big benefit to the town, getting a lot of work done for minimal cost,” he said. “That’s a big blessing, really.”
Most of the work will involve preventative crack sealing and maintenance, while some streets will be reworked and paved, Deaton said.
The projects include:
Industrial Way
Howard Street from Bethany Road to Park Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue from Walnut Street to town limits
Howard Street from Dismore Street to Preston Street
Moore Street from Armstrong Street to Preston Street
Moore Street from Preston Street to town limits
Main Street from Armstrong Street to the railroad tracks
Main Street from the railroad tracks to Kattman Avenue
Preston Street from Moore Street to Coleman Street
Coleman Street from Seymour Road to Preston Street
Deaton said the project will be bid out early next year, and the work should start in the spring when the weather breaks.
Community Crossings was created by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016. Funds for the program are awarded from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund.
To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds — 50 percent for larger communities or 25 percent for smaller communities — from a funding source approved for road and bridge construction. They also must submit an Indiana Department of Transportation-approved asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges.
State law requires 50 percent of the available matching funds be awarded to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer.
State lawmakers identified long-term funding for Community Crossings as part of House Enrolled Act 1002, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Holcomb in April 2017.
“Infrastructure plays a vital role in taking Indiana to the next level, and that includes everything from our interstates down to the last mile, including our local roads, bridges and sidewalks,” Holcomb said.
“When it comes to building and maintaining our infrastructure, we’re in this together for the benefit of all Hoosiers,” he said. “I am encouraged by the immediate impact of this program and look forward to hundreds more projects funded by Community Crossings taking shape in the coming months.”
This year, Crothersville completed 14 paving projects after receiving $423,406.10 in Community Crossings funding.
For 2019, 283 Indiana cities, towns and counties will receive a combined $100 million in state matching funds for local road projects. There were 444 communities that applied for funds, making this year’s call for projects highly competitive.
Now in its third year, Community Crossings has awarded nearly $400 million in state matching funds to local governments for construction projects.
“Community Crossings helps cities, towns and counties take care of what they have and plan for the future,” INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness said. “Three years into the program, the state has partnered with local governments to improve thousands of road miles and dozens of bridges. The impact has been significant and felt across all 92 counties, and I’m excited for that impact to continue with this round of projects.”
Beginning in 2019, INDOT will make it more convenient for local communities to pursue Community Crossings grants by offering two calls for projects per year.
INDOT will accept project applications in January and July each year with a given community being eligible to apply for up to $1 million once per year during the call of their choice.
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To view the list of all communities receiving matching funds through the 2018 Next Level Roads: Community Crossings Initiative, visit in.gov/indot/communitycrossings.
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