COLUMBUS, Ind. — Eight cities, towns or counties in south central Indiana will receive matching grants for road projects during this year’s second round of the Community Crossing program administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
At $1 million, the city of Columbus received the largest allocation. However, due to population, the city must match the grant on a 50-50 basis, INDOT grant administrator Kathy Eaton-McKalip said.
In Columbus, the money will be used to repair and overlay the following roads or streets next year: County Road 200S (within the city limits), two sections of 13th Street, Terrace Lake Road, McClure Road, Miami Drive, Ohio Street and Wedgewood Drive, according to Executive Director of Public Works and City Engineer Dave Hayward.
Since the second round grants were announced after asphalt plants close, work cannot begin until the 2021 construction season, Hayward said. In the past, it has also taken several weeks after the public announcement is made before the community receives the money.
Bartholomew County received $65,000 in its second-round grant, but county Highway Engineer Danny Hollander explained why the amount was lower than the first round earlier this year.
In the first round announced last spring, Bartholomew County received more than $900,000 to upgrade nine sections of county roads totaling about 18 miles. Like the city, county government also has to match the grant on a 50-50 basis, Eaton-McKalip said.
After combining the grant and match, a total of $130,000 will be spent to improve Hartman Drive, located on the west side of U.S. 31 across from the Indiana Premium Outlet Mall. Those exiting the mall on Market Place Drive and continuing straight across U.S. 31 will find themselves on Hartman Drive, which already includes restaurants, a hotel and trucking companies.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
