Community Crossings will fund road projects

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Hancock County was recently awarded over $655,800 through the latest round of the Community Crossings program, which funds road and bridge improvements around Indiana.

Hancock County engineer Gary Pool said this round of funding will go toward completing microsurfacing on three roads, similar to the surfacing improvements completed last year on County Road 600W.

The county will do the work on Fortville Pike between Greenfield and Fortville; on County Road 600N east of Fortville Pike; and on County Road 1050E from County Road 150N to Wilkinson.

Microsurfacing is a type of road maintenance that uses a mixed substance containing water, asphalt, very small crushed rocks and chemical additives. When applied to an existing pavement surface, it can fill in cracks and other small flaws to create a smooth surface. After resurfacing the roads, the county highway department will repaint lines.

The county also applied to funding to replace County Bridge 57, Pool said, but that project was not approved. The bridge is located near S&H Campground, 2573 W. County Road 100N. He hopes to resubmit it for the next round of Community Crossings funding later this year.

The Indiana Department of Transportation awards and distributes the grants twice a year. In this round, with project proposals submitted in January, 218 cities, towns and counties received a combined total of over $100 million. In the most recent round of funding, in December, McCordsville, New Palestine and Shirley received grants to make a number of improvements.

Local lawmakers praised the Community Crossings program in a press release as a fiscally responsible way of improving infrastructure, especially in smaller communities. Smaller municipalities provide a 25% match for the program, while larger communities provide a 50% match.

“Indiana developed a long-term plan that ensures our infrastructure is maintained for decades, without burdening future generations with debt,” said Rep. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield.