Indiana Awards $100 Million in Matching Funds for Local Infrastructure Projects
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Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe McGuinness recently announced $100.2 million in state matching funds have been distributed to local government agencies to support road and bridge projects.
The funding, provided through the Community Crossings Matching Grant program, has been divided among 218 cities, towns and counties. A component of Holcomb’s Next Level Roads program, Community Crossings dedicates funding specifically for local road and bridge improvements.
At an event held to announce the funding, Holcomb said the 218 community partners represent 89 of Indiana’s 92 counties.
“This is border-to-border interest,” Holcomb said during his remarks. “There is a lot of work going on out there.”
A few local leaders representing communities that received funds participated in the event virtually.
Valparaiso received $1 million in Community Crossings funding, which Mayor Matt Murphy said will be combined with about $1.5 million in local funds to assist with preventive maintenance work on three prominent arterials within the city. Located in northwest Indiana, Valparaiso sits at the southern end of Lake Michigan.
“We subscribe to the belief that maintaining infrastructure is an important responsibility,” Murphy said.
Matt Murphy by INDOT via YouTube
Noblesville, which is just north of Indianapolis, received $313,973 in Community Crossings funding. Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said past Community Crossing money has helped improve 20 miles of roadway in the city.
“Indiana is the crossroads of America,” Jensen said. “Our cities and towns and counties have to be the crossroads of Indiana. These dollars will help us get there.”
Holcomb and McGuinness said the Community Crossings program has provided approximately $931 million in state matching funds since 2016. Investments made through the Community Crossings program are meant to spur economic development, create jobs and strengthen local transportation networks.
Eligible projects include road and bridge preservation, drainage work and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance efforts. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s 2021 Bridge Profile, some 5.7% of Indiana’s bridges are classified as structurally deficient.
Utility relocation, railroad crossing upgrades, bike paths, water and sewer line replacements, and projects that have been approved for federal funding are not eligible for the Community Crossings program.
Joe McGuinness by INDOT via YouTube
To be considered for funding, local government agencies must provide matching funds from a source approved for road and bridge construction. Larger communities must match 50%, while smaller ones must match 25%. They also are required to submit an asset management plan approved by INDOT for maintaining existing roads and bridges.
The funding is meant to help smaller communities, although all Indiana government agencies representing cities, towns and counties may apply. State law requires that 50% of the available matching funds annually be awarded to communities within counties that have populations of 50,000 people or fewer.
The next call for projects through the Community Crossings program will open in July.
“The state’s funding partnership allows local partners to tackle larger-scale projects more quickly than would otherwise be possible, maximize their resources to complete more projects and achieve the best possible value for Hoosiers,” McGuinness said.
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