At least 22 miles of rural roads in Bartholomew County will get a new blacktop this year, a slight increase from the 18.27 miles announced at this time last year.
But that’s assuming the county highway department is awarded a matching state grant. If that grant is denied, the 22 miles will be reduced to 11 miles, county highway engineer Danny Hollander said.
About 60 miles of chip-and-seal road repair is expected to take place this year, Hollander said. Roughly three times less expensive than new blacktop, chip-and-seal treatments usually repair cracks for at least five years, and help prevent potholes from developing during freeze and thaw periods.
Last winter, it appeared that a number of county roads had deteriorated – especially after the heavy winter precipitation in February. But upon closer examination, the extent of damage now appears “spotty,” the highway engineer said.
Bartholomew County’s 2021 highway budget is $793,781, which breaks down into $715,216 in highway funds and $78,565 in the Local Road and Street funds. That money is provided in 12 monthly payments, so only a third of the funds has been acquired at this time. The department also has $1.5 million in combined unspent funds from 2020 to use on road preservation.
About $1 million of total funds will have to be set aside for matching grants. The other $1.2 million will be divided between overlay and chip and seal, Hollander said.
Since 2017, Columbus and Bartholomew County have come to increasing rely on the Community Crossing matching grant program, administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Under this program, each unit of local government can receive up to a million dollars annually through two separate rounds of grants, just as long as the local unit of government can match 50% of the grant.
The biggest hassle with this grant program are the unusual deadlines.
Although Bartholomew County had to submit its proposed list of Round 1 projects in January, it will be April before the extent of winter ‘freeze and thaw’ damage can be assessed, Hollander said. County highway superintendent Dwight Smith will do the inspection himself by driving over 700 miles of rural roads within the county.
Problems discovered by Smith for the first time can’t be submitted for Community Crossing funds until July, when the deadline for Round 2 arrives.
But the recipients will likely not be announced until after asphalt plants close for the winter, which will result in projects being delayed until spring.
Hollander and Smith have experience with this unusual form of grant funding. If Smith finds extensive damage that needs to be immediately addressed, priorities can be shifted and the worst damage will be addressed, Hollander said.
But despite their expertise, this drawn-out grant process can cause delays. For example, the necessity to do full depth reclamation work on Hartman Drive, located on the west side of U.S. 31 across from the Indiana Premium Outlet Mall, was identified as a top priority in January 2020.
That’s because the improvements would facilitate long-anticipated economic development north of Hartman Drive within a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. The upgrade will create a strong and lasting road appropriate for commercial use.
But delayed deadlines caused by the coronavirus prevent the county from seeking funds for Hartman Drive until October of last year. The money was not awarded until December, which kept the long-awaited project on hold until now.
On Monday, five contractors offered to do the work on Hartman Drive. Two of the bids came under the engineer’s estimate of $130,000 project.
The proposals, from lowest to highest, are:
- Milestone Construction of Columbus – $123,300
- Robertson Paving of Flat Rock – $128,047
- All Start Paving, Inc. of Seymour – $149,427
- C.A.S.E. Construction of Edinburgh – $166,160
- Dave O’Mara Contractor, Inc. of North Vernon – $169,659
Hollander and Smith said they will take at least one week to study the bids.
