Columbus City Council has approved the second reading of an ordinance appropriating about $3.7 million from various funds, including about $2 million for trail projects and a little under $1 million for overlay work.
The ordinance includes the following appropriations:
- $2,266,000 from the thoroughfare fund for trail projects
- $927,807 from the Community Crossings Grant Fund toward overlay projects
- $412,000 from the general fund for stormwater projects
- $100,000 from the general fund for the city’s sidewalk program
The city has three trail projects that have been approved for shared funding with the Federal Transportation Agency.
“We will be paying this money up front and then receive 80% reimbursement from the feds for the work,” said Jamie Brinegar, the city’s former director of finance, operations and risk, at a previous meeting.
The $2,266,000 includes work in the following areas:
- Westenedge Drive — $861,000
- Fairlawn Drive from Taylor Road to Richards Elementary — $510,000
- 25th Street from Fairlawn to Talley Road — $895,000
According to an a map of the city’s ongoing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, which can be accessed at columbus.in.gov/bikewalk/, city officials are planning a shared use path extension along the east side of Westenedge Drive from Rocky Ford Road to Parkside Drive, a sidewalk construction project on the north side of Fairlawn between Taylor Road and Par 3 Drive, and a shared use path on the north side of 25th Street between Fairlawn and Talley.
The $927,807 for overlay work comes from a Community Crossings grant that the state recently awarded to Columbus.
City engineer Andrew Beckort said in a previous interview that most of the funds will be spent on upgrading Old Indianapolis Road from the roundabout at the junction of Brown, Lindsey and 11th street to Paula Drive, just south of the U.S. 31 overpass. Additionally, some funding will be used to put a new layer of asphalt on the roundabout.
The city also plans to do a full-depth reclamation and overlay of County Road 100N, just off Old Indianapolis Road at the city limits, for about four-tenths of a mile, said Beckort.
The Columbus Board of Works voted on June 6 to approve a nearly $1.5 million contract with Dave O’Mara Contractors for the work.
The Community Crossings Matching Grant program provides funding to cities, towns, and counties to make improvements to local roads and bridges. Counties and towns that are the size of Bartholomew County and Columbus or larger must match the grant on a 50-50 basis.
