Local entities to receive $2.4 million in Community Crossings funds

More than $2.4 million in state grant funds will help with road paving projects in Putnam County this year.

On Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced the first round of Community Crossings grants for 2023, with Putnam County, Greencastle and Cloverdale among the 224 community-level governments to receive funding.

Putnam County and Greencastle are set to each receive $1 million, while Cloverdale will receive $403,293.

Communities submitted applications for this round of Community Crossings in January. These were evaluated based on need and current conditions, as well as impacts to safety and economic development. Funding for Community Crossings comes from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund.

For smaller communities such as those in Putnam County, Community Crossings requires a 25-percent match for the program, meaning the actual investment in local roads should exceed $3.2 million.

In Greencastle, the projects include:

• Poplar Street from Madison to Jackson and from Jackson to Locust;

• Madison Street from Poplar to Franklin;

• Gardenside Drive from Wood to Hammond;

• Hammond Street from Gardenside to Washington; and

• Ohio Street from Locust to Crown.

Most segments are mill and resurfacing. Some segments include curb repair, storm drainage and sidewalk repairs.

“This is the city’s fourth Community Crossings grant since the program started in 2016,” Mayor Bill Dory said. “The city has been able to make some significant street improvements such as Jackson Street, Indianapolis Road, Wood Street, Tennessee Street and others. This grant is the first that the city received that only required a 25-percent match. The three previous grants required a 50-percent match. The lower grant match is allowing our funds to go a bit further.”

The city is providing a local match of $409,548, slightly more than 29 percent of the project cost.

“Because of the grant, our annual street resurfacing budget will allow us to do several additional streets this summer,” Dory said.

In the county, work will include three different roads:

• County Road 1050 South from 300 West to State Road 243;

• County Road 700 South heading east and linking up with 800 South from State Road 243 to U.S. 231; and

• The eastern leg of Heritage Drive. The western leg was paved last year with Community Crossings funds.

In Cloverdale, the grant will allow for reconstruction of Beagle Club Road from Main Street (U.S. 231) to the town limits.

“This project is the continuation of the Bennington Way reconstruction project which was a $1 million Community Crossings award that is expected to begin the week of the April 24,” Town Manager Jason Hartman said.

Work on the Beagle Club Road project, which has not been bid and has no date at this time, will also consist of stormwater, curb and resurfacing.