Lincolnway Project Ribbon Cutting
Today, I joined Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, State Rep. Ed Soliday and other community leaders to celebrate the completion of a road rehabilitation project on Lincolnway.
The project included the replacement of up to 7 inches of asphalt and curbs along Lincolnway from Garfield Street to Morgan Boulevard. The road averages more than 17,000 cars and trucks daily and serves as the gateway to Valparaiso’s vibrant downtown.
The improvements were made possible through the Community Crossings Grant program, established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016. Since then, the program has provided $1 million to Valparaiso to fund local infrastructure projects.
For the Lincolnway project, contractor Rieth-Riley partnered with a pavement engineering firm to create a 20-year surface for the road. The innovative formula was designed to suppress cracking, ensure smoothness and maintain strength of the road’s concrete base.
I’m glad to see Valparaiso utilizing the Community Crossings Grant program to tackle our area’s infrastructure needs. The rehabilitation of this section of Lincolnway will make traveling easier and more enjoyable for residents.
Local Communities Receive Additional Road Funding
Recently, 21 communities in and around Senate District 5 received over $8.6 million in local road-funding grants.
The Community Crossings Matching Grant program was created in 2016 by the Indiana General Assembly. As part of Indiana’s long-term road funding plan, the legislature increased funding for the program in 2017.
Through the program, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) matches up to $1 million when localities invest in road and bridge repairs. Counties with populations below 50,000 and cities and towns with populations below 10,000 are matched 75 percent, while larger counties, cities and towns are matched 50 percent. INDOT selects these communities based on economic impact.
Grant recipients in Senate District 5 are as follows:
- Chesterton: $379,065.02
- Dune Acres: $191,886.75
- Francesville: $101,700
- Hebron: $340,450
- Jasper County: $459,750
- Knox: $455,559.61
- Kouts: $216,160
- La Porte: $670,000
- LaPorte County: $568,500
- Medaryville: $300,000
- Michigan City: $488,281.37
- North Judson: $125,094.75
- Ogden Dunes: $234,000
- Portage: $721,312.84
- Pulaski County: $878,542.50
- Rensselaer: $739,327
- Starke County: $570,832.13
- Wanatah: $105,909
- Westville: $404,998.28
- Wheatfield: $549,375
- Winamac: $90,000
I am proud of our local government officials for taking advantage of this opportunity in order to increase funding for our roads and bridges. I look forward to the positive impact these awards will have on the transportation infrastructure in our communities and state.
These grants are in addition to the funding from Indiana’s Next Level Roads plan, which provides $305,199,553 to repair state-maintained roads and bridges in and around Senate District 5 over the next five years.