Nicholson
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe McGuinness announced Wednesday that 218 Indiana cities, including Seymour, and other towns and counties combined to receive $101.9 million in funding for local road projects through Community Crossings, a component of the governor’s Next Level Roads program.
Seymour will receive $893,551.48, an amount that will be matched by the Seymour Redevelopment Commission and result in nearly $2 million of road work, including reconstruction of Phillips Lane and paving of around 5 miles of other city streets.
The streets that will be paved using the funding are Third Street, Sixth Street, 15th Street, Berkshire Court, Brown Street, Chestnut Street, Hartsell Drive, McDonald Street, Montgomery Drive, Pine Street, O’Brien Street, Oak Street, Thompson Road, Walnut Street, Windhorst Court, Park Street and Nottingham Drive.
The projects will go out for bid this month and be awarded by the end of the year with work to begin in the spring and be completed by early fall 2022.
Mayor Matt Nicholson thanked INDOT and state leaders for continuing to make Community Crossings Matching Grant funds available to invest in the maintenance of roads and streets.
Local INDOT representatives were helpful in providing feedback and answering questions throughout the application process, he said.
The city team of Engineer Bernie Hauersperger, Director of Public Works Director Chad Dixon and Michelle Gossett worked to put together a strong grant application, resulting in the award, the mayor said.
“This helps keep us pretty much on track with our plan,” Nicholson said.
In May 2021, the city received $108,000 in CCMG funds, which was used to apply a surface rejuvenator on a total of 11 miles of local streets to extend their lifespan by as much as five years.
State District 69 Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, said he supported legislation establishing the program in 2016 and its expansion in 2017.
“Investing in our infrastructure not only improves our roads but also adds to our quality of life,” he said. “The Community Crossings program helps even the most rural areas of the state move ahead with road projects, and there are communities throughout our area that will benefit from these additional funds.”
Since 2016, Seymour has received approximately $5 million from the state from the CCMG program and has invested roughly $10 million in road maintenance. Before that time, the city was only putting about $150,000 to $200,000 into road repairs annually.
The Community Crossings initiative has provided more than $1 billion in state matching funds for local construction projects since 2016. INDOT oversees and distributes these grants twice each year.
Communities submitted applications for funding during a highly competitive call for projects in January. Applications were evaluated based on need and current conditions and impacts to safety and economic development. Funding for Community Crossings comes from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund.
To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds — 50% for larger communities or 25% for smaller communities — from a funding source approved for road and bridge construction. They also must submit an INDOT-approved asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges.
State law requires annually that 50% of the available matching funds be awarded to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer. State lawmakers identified long-term funding for Community Crossings as part of House Enrolled Act 1002, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Holcomb in April 2017.
The next call for projects will open in January 2022, with funds to be awarded in spring 2022.
For a list of all communities receiving matching funds in the 2021 summer/fall call for projects, visit in.gov/indot/communitycrossings.