Indiana recently awarded more than $1 million in state matching grants to LaPorte County communities for road and bridge improvements, according to State Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie).
Through the Community Crossings Matching Grant program, 218 Hoosier cities, towns and counties received a combined total of over $100 million. This program was expanded in 2017 through a law Pressel supported. The Indiana Department of Transportation oversees and distributes these grants twice each year.
“The condition of our infrastructure affects our economy as a whole,” said Pressel, chair of the House Roads and Transportation Committee. “As the Crossroads of America we have to maintain and improve our roads and bridges, and this grant program helps communities complete local projects much more quickly.”
As part of the program, Long Beach was awarded $326,766, Michigan City was awarded $660,966 and Westville was awarded $89,998.
Pressel said communities can use these funds for road and bridge preservation, road reconstruction, intersection improvements, guardrail replacements and signage. Smaller municipalities must provide a 25 percent match in local funds, while large communities must provide a 50 percent match.
More than $931 million in total has been awarded throughout the state since 2016. State law requires that 50 percent of the available matching funds be awarded annually to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer.
More information about the program and recipients can be found online at in.gov/indot/communitycrossings. The next call for projects through Community Crossings will open in July 2021.