Briana Pace | Southern Indiana Business Report
Nearly an additional $6.4 million was awarded to 11 cities, towns and counties across the Radius Indiana region in the second round of Community Crossing matching infrastructure grant funds by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
“Indiana is the crossroads of America and Hoosiers rely on our strong roads and infrastructure to drive economic growth and strong communities,” Indiana Governor Mike Braun said in a press release.
Bedford, Ferdinand, French Lick, Jasper, Lawrence County, Montgomery, Oolitic, Paoli, Shoals, Washington County and West Baden Springs all received additional funding for local road and bridge improvements; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant projects, associated with road and bridge improvements; and the costs for chip sealing and crack filling roads.
For these rural areas, receiving this grant makes the difference in whether the projects could be done or not. Their resources are limited due to their size, and without the grant, many would not be able to make these improvements.
“For the town of Paoli, the grant money for these roads,” Paoli Town Council member Danny Hickman said,” is just a fantastic thing,”
Paoli will use the grant money to complete a project started three years ago: redoing the road, sidewalks, curbs and storm drains on South Gospel Street from Oak Street to the historic Gospel Street Bridge.
“None of that was ADA approved; the sidewalks are all busted up and you couldn’t really walk down through there,” Hickman said. “It’s just been neglected for years.”
Hickman estimates the project will be finished Nov. 1.
The town of French Lick plans to use its grant money to repair 22 streets. The biggest projects are West Michigan Street, from Short Street to South Adams Street, and Washington Street, from Roosevelt Street to South Adams Street.
Both projects began about two weeks ago, according to French Lick Clerk Treasurer Mindy Tendley. They will each be milled and resurfaced; plus, the sidewalks will be removed and replaced, along with the curbs, making it all ADA compliant.
On West Michigan Street, the existing retaining wall will be removed, and on Washington Street, a power drain will be installed along with a storm pipe.
“Without the Community Crossings Grant there is no way that we could financially do the things that we have done,” Tendley said.
In Montgomery, the funding will be used to repave Main Street and the bridge on Third Street. The two areas were selected because they were in the worst shape and most heavily trafficked.
Town Council President of Montgomery Mike Healy said they are working on getting the project scheduled with contractors and once it begins, it won’t take long to finish.
“These will be pretty quick,” Healy said. “They’re not huge things.”
The money received by Shoals will be used to upgrade roads identified by the Indiana Department of Transportations’ (INDOT) grading system. Engineers will go through the standards and provide a map of which roads can and cannot meet INDOT’s expectations. Based on that, the town will choose what roads to begin working on.
They will also use the money to install ADA compliant sidewalks, curbs and concrete work.
“It’s a quality-of-life improvement,” President of the Shoals Town Council Cary Albright said. “We have a large portion of our population here in Shoals that are seniors, and they need to be able to get around the town. With our current sidewalks we have, it’s virtually impossible because they’re old; they’re broken up. It’s just hard to get around town.”
The grant application, due in October 2025, was open to all local governments in Indiana. Those submissions were used to select recipients for July’s additional funding, bringing the award total to over $165 million for the entirety of the 2026 fiscal year.
Matching percentages of the grant are based on population. For cities and towns with less than 12,500 people, it was 80% from the state and 20% from the local government, and for those with a population over 12,500, it was a 50% and 50% match.
Counties with a population of less than 55,000 were eligible for an 80% and 20% match, and ones greater than 55,000, had a 50% and 50% match.
The 2027 fiscal year Community Crossing Matching Grant applications are fast approaching, opening September 1 and closing September 30 at 5 p.m. EDST. The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to continue the call for applications annually each September in the coming years.