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The Trump Administration's impoundment of federal funds could start delaying local projects

The City of Fort Wayne's Bluffton Road-St. Marys Riverbank Resilience Project will protect trails and the heavily-traveled Bluffton Road. The design and planning phase could be delayed due to Trump administration impoundment of federal funds.
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City of Fort Wayne project website
The City of Fort Wayne's Bluffton Road-St. Marys Riverbank Resilience Project will protect trails and the heavily-traveled Bluffton Road. The design and planning phase could be delayed due to Trump administration impoundment of federal funds.

The City of Fort Wayne is feeling the effects of the new Trump administration’s recent executive actions.

A long-planned repair to an eroding river bank along Bluffton Road could be delayed because of the new administration’s 90-day-pause on funding coming from the Biden administration’s PROTECT grant.

The PROTECT grant — Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation— came via the Federal Highway Administration. Fort Wayne's Resilience Improvement Grant was one of only 36 awarded nationwide, and the only one in the state of Indiana.

But among the myriad of executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in recent days was the pausing of billions of federal monies already appropriated by Congress for projects around the country.

One of those projects was the Riverbank Resilience Project along the St. Marys River near Bluffton Road. The grant will be used to stabilize 2,400 feet of the west bank of the St. Marys River, and will "utilize nature-based solutions to prevent additional erosion that is threatening further damage to Bluffton Road."

The southside roadway sees about 23,400 vehicles a day, according to the city.

While the project is not scheduled to break ground for years yet, the design and permitting process is about to get underway. And about $600,000 for this first step was to come from the federal money.

City officials cautioned the City Council Tuesday evening that the money is no longer guaranteed and could cause the city to have to find additional resources.

Councilman Paul Ensley (R-1st District) moved to delay the approval of the design phase, but that motion failed with a 4-5 vote. The motion to pass the approval of the design phase money passed 8-0 with Ensley abstaining.

Councilman Geoff Paddock (D-5th District) told the council that his long-running efforts to bring passenger rail back to Fort Wayne is also facing the same hurdles caused by the new administration’s executive orders.

Rebecca manages the news at WBOI. She joined the staff in December 2017, and brought with her nearly two decades of experience in print journalism, including 15 years as an award-winning reporter for the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne.