Columbus is pursuing its second round of street improvements this year as the city waits to hear about state grant funding.
The city has submitted eight projects to the Indiana Department of Transportation as part of the state agency’s Community Crossings grant program, said Dave Hayward, executive director of public works/city engineer. The program is a 50/50 program between INDOT and the city, requiring the city to provide its match through Local Option Income Taxes, or LOIT funds, wheel/surtax monies or rainy day funds, according to INDOT.
The Columbus Board of Works received bids Tuesday from Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. and Milestone Contractors, which were taken under advisement, for Phase 2 of the city’s overlay program.
Hayward said the city expects to hear back soon from INDOT about how much, if any, it could receive under the grant program, which could provide up to $1 million in funding.
Columbus City Council is being asked to appropriate $1.5 million toward street improvements that includes $743,000 in LOIT funds and an additional $757,000 from the city’s general fund to be used toward the city’s overlay program. The bids from the contractors cover the first five projects that were submitted to INDOT, Hayward said.
Those projects include improvements to:
Lowell Road from U.S. 31 to County Road 200W
Carr Hill Road from Terrace Lake Road to the city limits
Middle Road from Rocky Ford Road to Cessna Drive
Rocky Ford Road from Central Avenue to Downing Place
25th Street from Taylor Road to the city limits
The remaining projects submitted to INDOT include proposed improvements to Central Avenue from U.S. 31 to Rocky Ford Road; 13th Street from Central Avenue to Michigan Street; and work on County Road 400N from U.S. 31 to the city limits.
Hayward said paving work on Middle Road from Rocky Ford Road to Cessna Drive and on Rocky Ford Road from Central Avenue to Downing Place is targeted for completion by Nov. 17.
The proposed work on Lowell Road is tied to the widening of the road, while work on Carr Hill Road is similar and includes improved curbs and gutters, Hayward said. Both of those are expected to begin in the early spring or summer months next year.
The city submitted $1.2 million worth of projects to INDOT under the Community Crossings program in 2016 and was awarded about $640,000 in funding, he said.
