Indy Standard

State Representatives Bruce Borders and Matt Hostettler have announced that local communities in Indiana will soon benefit from increased road and bridge projects, thanks to newly released state funding. This funding is part of Indiana's Community Crossings Matching Grant Program, which supports road reconstruction, bridge preservation, intersection improvements, and other infrastructure projects.

The program has allocated over $139 million in state matching grants to 223 communities across the state. Representative Borders stated, "These grants aren't just an investment in roads and bridges, they're an investment in the safety and mobility of our communities." He expressed enthusiasm for how this funding will address significant local projects.

Communities such as Bicknell, Decatur, and Vincennes are among the recipients of these grants, receiving $1.5 million, $1.4 million, and $521,162 respectively. Representative Hostettler highlighted the challenges faced by rural areas: "Our rural communities often do not have enough funding to tackle all of their infrastructure needs," he said. The Community Crossings grants provide these areas with budget flexibility for essential upgrades.

The grant program requires smaller municipalities to match 25 percent of the funds locally while larger communities must provide a 50 percent match. Additionally, state law mandates that half of the available matching funds be awarded annually to communities within counties with populations of 50,000 or fewer. Since its inception in 2016, Community Crossings has distributed more than $1.8 billion for local road and bridge improvements.

For more information about the program, visit in.gov/indot/communitycrossings and click on "Community Crossings Matching Grant."