Southwest Indiana awarded more than $30M in road, bridge project funding
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More than 30 cities, towns and counties in southwest Indiana received over $30 million in Community Crossings Matching Grants from the Indiana Department of Transportation in November 2024 and March 2025.
INDOT dispensed the funds under two gubernatorial administrations. In November, the southwest region received more than $13 million under then-Gov. Eric Holcomb. In March, the area accepted over $17 million under Gov. Mike Braun.
Since November, municipalities statewide have received around $340 million in CCMG funding. The program has awarded more than $2 billion for improvement projects across Indiana from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund since 2016.
“These grants go beyond funding roads and bridges, they’re an investment in the safety and connectivity of our communities,” State Rep. Shane Lindauer, R-Jasper, said in a news release about the March distributions. “I’m eager to see how this funding will advance local projects and create more efficient travel corridors for Hoosiers.”
Fall 2024/Spring 2025 recipients
Several southwest Indiana communities acquired CCMG funding during INDOT’s fall and spring distributions. For example, Evansville and Vanderburgh County received over $1.5 million in November and nearly $2.7 million in March.
In Vanderburgh County, seven road sections will be resurfaced and a bridge will be replaced near the Posey County line, according to John Stoll, county engineer. Bids for the road work open on April 1, and work should be completed by the end of August. Bids for the bridge project will be accepted in the summer, and work is expected to be finished sometime in 2026. Both projects will use 50% CCMG funds and 50% county funds.
Dubois County received more than $500,000 in November and another $1.5 million in March. County Commissioner and President Chad Blessinger said the recent funds will be used for work on 11 road sections. The county must match 25% of the funds.
“The projects will be bid and put into place as soon as possible and the timeline is dependent on weather and contractor availability. These grant dollars will enable us to help build and improve infrastructure in our community,” Blessinger said.
Tell City and Perry County received more than $775,000 in November and nearly $2 million in March with 25% match requirements for each distribution. In a Facebook post, Mayor Chris Cail addressed concerns about residents’ desire to pave alleys.
“Unfortunately, current regulations restrict the use of Community Crossing funds for alley projects. Instead, we are prioritizing street improvements while making ongoing efforts to pave a few alleys each year,” he said.
Daviess County and Shoals in Martin County also received funding in November and March. The county accepted more than $2.6 million, and Shoals acquired more than $500,000. Both municipalities must match 25% of the funds.
Boonville Fall 2024 award
In November, Boonville received nearly $1.5 million in CCMG funding. Sara Bowman, mayor’s assistant and zoning administrator, explained how the city decided which projects to submit for consideration.
“We task our councilmen and our councilwoman with going out into their districts and bringing back a list of the worst roads. Then I send them to my engineer, and we have an intern that goes out, gets all the measurements, and that’s where we start with getting the application filed,” she said. “We go for the full amount at the January call [for projects] or the July call. It depends on how the previous year finished.”
Bowman said the grant will help repair and pave more than 20 streets as well as add curbs and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks.
“The largest project in this amount is redoing [roads in] the entire [North Warrick] Industrial Park,” she said.
Boonville’s matching 25% contribution will come from road funds and the general fund, according to Bowman. The bidding process is complete, and work is expected to start soon.
“We have awarded the project to [Evansville-based] J.H. Rudolph [& Co., Inc.] and are looking to start in the spring of 2025,” Bowman said.
Santa Claus Fall 2024 grant
Santa Claus also received more than $1 million in CCMG funding in November. Russ Luthy, utilities superintendent, described the town’s process of choosing projects for submission.
“We use what they call the PASER [Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating] system. We go out and rate our roads on a scale of one to 10. So 10 being in really good shape, one being in really bad shape,” he said. “We submit ones that are about mid-range in the six, five and four PASER ratings.”
Luthy said the town will use the grant to improve an intersection affected by State Route 245’s realignment and complete about three miles of road rehabilitation on various streets.
“We will go through and patch any bad areas and then overlay that with either an inch and a half or two inches of hot mix surface,” he said.
Santa Claus’ matching 25% contribution will come from motor vehicle highway funds and local roads and streets funds. Clarksville-based E&B Paving is expected to start work in late spring or early summer, just as Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari starts another season.
“Nine months out of the year, we are providing a safe and economic transportation system for the local residents and businesses. Three months out of the year when the park is open, our population can expand by tenfold. We can go from 2,400 people in town to 24 or 25,000. So we also have to make it safe and accessible for folks coming in and out of town,” said Luthy.
Next opportunity for submissions
INDOT’s next CCMG call for projects will be in July. Eligible initiatives include road and bridge preservation projects connected to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Material costs associated with crack filling and chip sealing operations are also eligible.
The amount that a county, city or town pays in matching funds depends on population. Counties with fewer than 50,000 people and cities and towns with fewer than 10,000 can get funds using a 75/25% match. Counties, cities and towns with higher populations can get funds using a 50/50% match.
“Whether rural or urban, road and bridge maintenance takes resources and funding that is not always easy for communities to come by,” State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter (R) said in a news release about the March distributions. “Community Crossings grants help local governments move forward quicker on larger projects.”
Bowman attested to the benefits CCMG funding has bestowed upon Boonville over the past decade.
“Since Community Crossings started in 2016, we have paid multimillion dollars in paving that we were not able to do within the last 20 years,” she said.
Local government units can learn more about the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program on INDOT’s website.