IN- Communities in 11 northeast Indiana counties will soon receive more than $24 million combined to help repair and maintain roads, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday.
Nearly $140 million was awarded by the state through the Community Crossings matching grant program, which is part of Holcomb’s taxpayer-funded Next Level Roads program.
This is the second round of funding this year as the Indiana Department of Transportation program awarded $207 million in the spring. This year, northeast Indiana counties have received about $51 million through Community Crossings.
“Community Crossings has been an annual highlight over the years,” Holcomb said in a statement. “The fact that nearly 14,000 miles of road and over 200 local bridges have been replaced or rehabilitated through this program since 2017 is simply astonishing, in addition to countless economic and quality of life benefits in hundreds of communities across Indiana.”
The state described the call for applications as highly competitive. Community Crossings funding comes from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund. The funds are for construction, which includes maintenance, the website says. Eligible projects include road and bridge preservation that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The highest awards are for $1.5 million. DeKalb County and Shipshewana in LaGrange County were the only northeast communities to receive the maximum award in this round.
Several other communities came close to receiving the maximum. Huntertown, Ligonier and Columbia City were all awarded more than $1.48 million. Berne and Decatur will receive awards of more than $1.4 million.
Adams County will get the most matching grant dollars out of northeast Indiana counties as five of its communities will receive more than $3.7 million combined.
Other northeast Indiana communities that received at least $1 million are Angola, more than $1.3 million; Kosciusko County, nearly $1.3 million; and Auburn, $1 million.
Among the 232 communities that received funding, 41 are in northeast Indiana.
The communities also have to fund parts of their projects. Cities and towns with less than 10,000 residents and counties with less than 50,000 people will have to pay for 25% of the projects.
Cities and towns with more than 10,000 residents and counties with more than 50,000 will split the projects 50-50 with the state transportation department.
The program was launched in 2016 and has since awarded more than $1.8 billion to local road improvement projects.
Long-term funding for Community Crossings was identified by state legislators and was passed in 2017 by the General Assembly and signed into law by Holcomb, the release said.
“This program has impacted communities in all 92 Indiana counties, most more than once,” Commissioner Mike Smith of the state transportation department said in a statement. “I want to recognize all of the local agencies who have participated over time for their hard work and dedication to improving their local transportation networks.”
The next round of funding will be awarded next year. The application window opens at 8 a.m. Jan. 2 and closes at 5 p.m. Jan. 31.
