Indy Standard

Elkhart County legislators have announced that local communities will soon benefit from state funding for road and bridge projects. The funding comes from Indiana's Community Crossings Matching Grant Program, which supports road reconstruction, bridge preservation, intersection improvements, and other infrastructure projects. Across the state, 223 communities will receive over $139 million in state matching grants.

"Ensuring that our transportation routes are able to be maintained and upgraded will allow for future growth," said State Rep. David Abbott (R-Rome City). "Every day, people rely on having safe and functional roadways, which is why these matching grants are key for smaller communities to address their infrastructure and needs effectively."

State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) added, "This matching grant program works because of the strong relationships between our state and local governments. Investing in infrastructure benefits all Hoosiers as we continue to make necessary upgrades and repairs to our roadways."

The area grant recipients include Bristol with $774,506; Elkhart with $352,672; Goshen with $1.5 million; Millersburg with $104,821; and Wakarusa with $191,438.

"It's critical we update our roads and bridges to help draw new residents, visitors and businesses to our area," said State Rep. Doug Miller (R-Elkhart). "This funding is a great way for our communities to stretch their budgets further and keep up with infrastructure needs."

To qualify for the competitive grant, smaller municipalities must provide a 25 percent match in local funds while larger communities must provide a 50 percent match. State law mandates that 50 percent 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 awarded more than $1.8 billion for local road and bridge improvements.

"Communities both large and small benefit from this program, which allows them to complete necessary repairs on our roads and bridges," said State Rep. Tim Wesco (R-Osceola). "In the future, I hope to see more local towns and cities apply for this road funding program."

For more information about the program visit in.gov/indot/communitycrossings.