HANCOCK COUNTY — Hancock County has been awarded nearly $9 million in state grant funds for county infrastructure improvements. However, work on the projects will not begin until 2025.
The county will receive a total of $8,697,600 for three projects, which include two bridge replacements and the addition of more travel lanes and a roundabout to a portion of County Road 300 North. The bridges are Hancock County Bridge 85, located on County Road 400S over Sugar Creek, and Hancock County Bridge 146, located on County Road 300S over Rodewald Ditch.
Hancock County engineer Gary Pool said he was pleased to see that all the projects for which the county requested funding were approved in this year’s round of grants.
“We typically do pretty well, and this year is no exception,” Pool said.
Pool said the two replacement bridges won’t look much different from the existing, aging structures, but are needed to ensure the crossings remain safe in the long term. The work on County Road 300N will expand it to four lanes in a busy area and add a roundabout at a particularly high-traffic intersection.
The investment is part of $100.8 million in grant funding the Indiana Department of Transportation is allocating to 54 cities, towns and counties in rural parts of the state for infrastructure improvements. Projects will include work on roads, bridges, sidewalks and trails.
The grant funding is provided on an 80-20 match basis, so Hancock County will spend approximately $1.7 of its own money on these three projects.
“Local transportation improvements are critical to growing and enhancing Indiana’s communities,” 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 cities, towns and counties that are primed to attract and retain talent and spur job growth in the 21st century economy.”
Communities will now begin design and development work on the projects, which will go out for bid in the fiscal year beginning in 2025. The funds awarded now are dedicated to construction costs, but INDOT will also contribute to the design, engineering and right-of-way costs of the projects.
No other county received approval for three projects in this round of grant funding: The only other government entity to have as many projects approved was the city of Muncie. Pool said he’s gratified to see that the state recognized the county’s infrastructure needs.