INDOT Resumes Community Crossings Grant Program
(stock image courtesy: Pixabay/Amber Mabel)
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAfter a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Department of Transportation has restarted the Community Crossings grant program. The next round of the program will provide about $68 million in state matching funds for a variety of local projects, including road resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and road reconstruction.
INDOT says the funding can also be used for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance in connection with road projects, as well as material costs for chip sealing and crack filling operations.
“These projects encourage economic development by ensuring that the first and last mile of our transportation network, which we all know for many businesses and healthcare and education is a local road,” said INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness. “And we want to make sure that we are able to support it with the freight and logistics and allowing those companies to grow and create jobs here in Indiana.”
The call for projects in the new round of funding was originally set to take place in July, however the state postponed the call due to uncertainties surrounding state revenue as a result of the pandemic.
The $68 million figure includes existing revenue in the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund and anticipated revenues from the first three months of the state’s 2021 fiscal year.
“As the Governor has emphasized throughout the COVID-19 fight, we’re all in this together and that includes the state and local communities partnering to get things done,” McGuinness said. “Moving forward with this call for projects ensures that local officials can keep their commitments to improving roads and bridges in every corner of Indiana.”
The program is open to all local governments throughout the state. The populations of cities and towns will determine precisely how much of a match they will receive.
Applications for the funding round will be accepted through October 23. The grant recipients will be announced by INDOT later in the fall.
INDOT says, since the program’s inception in 2016, the state has awarded more than $730 million in matching funds.
During the governor’s COVID-19 press briefing, McGuinness emphasized the local aspect of the grants.