More than $3 million in federal aid announced for two local projects

More than $3 million in federal transportation funding has been awarded to Putnam County and the City of Greencastle, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced Wednesday.

Putnam County will receive $1,983,200 for the County Road 400 West (Saddle Club Road) bridge over CSX Railroad in Madison Township.

Greencastle has been awarded $1,284,506.50 for the four blocks of Locust Street from Franklin to Seminary.

The city and county were among the 66 entities in rural portions of Indiana that will receive a total of $161.2 million in federal investment in local road and bridge improvements as well as sidewalk and trail projects.

The county project will be the replacement of the five-span concrete bridge built in 1908. With a total cost estimate of nearly $3 million, construction on the project is unlikely to begin until 2022.

County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts said only about 20 vehicles per day cross the bridge, which spans the portion of Saddle Club Road that goes from asphalt to gravel. However, the project was given greater priority because the only other way out of that area west of Greencastle crosses a floodplain.

Due to the light traffic, Ricketts said the county would be examining all options to keep the project as inexpensive as possible.

Meanwhile, the City of Greencastle project will rework Locust Street to include new sidewalks, storm drainage, resurfacing and some landscaping to match Indiana and Vine streets, which were upgraded as part of the Stellar Grant.

Much of the drainage work is also in anticipation of the proposed INDOT work on U.S. 231, Mayor Bill Dory said.

“We will be working from Seminary Street to Franklin Street,” he noted, adding “as Locust Street is roughly the low spot between Bloomington and the Square, drainage connections will be prepared for future use by INDOT.”

Combined with local funds throughout the state, approximately $212 million is being invested in infrastructure in communities receiving funds.

Statewide, types of projects receiving funds include 27 bridge rehabilitation/replacement projects; 31 resurfacing/reconstruction projects; 17 Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) projects that include work such as sidewalks, ADA ramps, and trails; and six traffic safety projects.

“Indiana is investing in transportation at record levels and that includes more than just our highways,” INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness said. “Our sustained commitment to modernizing local roads and bridges, adding sidewalks, and growing our trail networks sends a clear message that we’re building communities that are primed to attract and retain talent and spur job growth in the 21st-century economy.”

For this latest round of funding, rural communities will design, develop and purchase land for projects that would be bid during the fiscal year beginning July 2021.

While the funds awarded now are dedicated to construction, INDOT will be financially participating in design, engineering and right-of-way acquisition components of these projects.

INDOT dedicates approximately 25 percent of its federal highway funds to supporting local projects each year. Metropolitan Planning Organizations distribute those funds to cities, towns and counties within the state’s larger urbanized areas while INDOT distributes funds outside MPO areas. Communities must pay at least 20 percent in local matching funds and meet other federal requirements to receive federal funding.

Rural communities were invited to submit project applications to INDOT for potential funding during a call for projects announced in October 2017.