The Indiana Department of Transportation completed payouts late last week for its Community Crossings Matching Grant, which covers half the cost of a county or town’s road and infrastructure projects.
More than 1,600 applications were submitted to receive a piece of the $160 million dollar grant.
In recent months, organizations like the Indiana Farm Bureau have made efforts to get rural residents involved in infrastructure conversations, since revenue sources like the gas tax are becoming less reliable for road funding.
Adams County received $492,500, something highway superintendent Lonnie Caffee says has never happened before. He says it’s a good way for the county to give something back to taxpayers.
One of the projects Caffee submitted was the six-mile 200 East road that connects state roads 124 and 218. He says he’s concerned for the safety of the road.
“It’s been real rolly and hilly, holds water; you go down there with a truck or car and it feels like a roller coaster," he said. "So we’re going to have that wedged and leveled.”
Caffee says that could cost an estimated $635,000, but the matching grant allows Adams County to focus on other projects, like a three-mile gravel road that could connect commuters to Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne, New Haven, and Allen County are also among the Northern Indiana counties and towns that received funding. They each received $1 million. You can find the full list of recipients on INDOT’s website.
