Five communities or local governments in Bartholomew County will be receiving additional funding through the second round of the 2024 Community Crossings matching grant (CCMG) program.
They are among 223 recipients across Indiana sharing a total of nearly $140 million.
But since the road and infrastructure grants are being awarded near the end of the construction season, most work won’t get underway until spring.
Edinburgh – $1,483,065
Situated in Bartholomew, Johnson and Shelby counties, Edinburgh is one of the largest grant recipients in south central Indiana.
Its grant money will be spent on repaving or upgrading a dozen sections of streets, Edinburgh town manager John Myers said.
Myers identified the projects as: Rainbow Lane; Glasgow Drive; Independence Drive; Lind Dribe., from State Road 252 to East Main Cross; Main Cross, from Pleasant Street to the railroad tracks; Center Park Drive, from North Park Drive to the end; Breeding Street, from Pleasant Street to Eisenhower Drive; County Line Road, from Duncan Street to just west of County Road 175W; and Naomi Street, from North Walnut Street to Kyle Street.
Since Edinburgh’s population is at 4,429, the town will be required to match only 25% of the grant ($370,766). Larger government units including Columbus and Bartholomew County are required to match 50% of the amount they receive through the Indiana Department of Transportation program.
City of Columbus – $297,673
Both city and county government found themselves eligible for more CCMG money than expected, due to lower-than-expected bids and material costs during Round 1 last spring. City Engineer Andrew Beckort says the funds will finance four sections of road improvements that are all a quarter-of-a-mile long or less.
Three of the projects will be in the industrial park, located off Old Indianapolis Road a half-mile south of the U.S. 31 overpass. These projects will all involve a full-depth reclamation, which is a cost-effective technique involving recycling existing pavement materials to create a new roadway surface, Beckort said.
Those streets are: Brian Drive, from Indianapolis Road to Scott Drive; Scott Drive, from Brian Drive to Kenholt Drive; and Kenholt Drive, from Scott Drive to Indianapolis Road.
Beckort says a more extensive 4-inch milling, followed by an fresh layer of asphalt, are planned for Willowbrook Drive, from Cessna Drive to Dearbrook Drive. Willowbrook is located within a residential neighborhood southeast of the Columbus Municipal Airport.
Bartholomew County – $150,600
New asphalt will be put down on Bellesville Pike, from Poplar Drive to County Road 650W, according to Bartholomew County Highway engineer Danny Hollander.
Combined with recently completed projects, new asphalt will be laid nearly all the way around Grandview Lake, Hollander said. However, the Bartholomew County commissioners said no to a request to stripe the new roads. Residential streets maintained by the county have never been striped, Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said.
Other additional projects that received funding approval are: County Road 400W, from State Road 58 to Deaver Road; County Road 620N, from County Road 900E to County Road 1000E near Hope; and County Road 1200E, from County Road 950N to County Road 1000N in northeast Bartholomew County.
Hartsville – $204,551
On the far east side of Hartsville, there is a 9 foot by 4 foot box culvert estimated to be about 100 years old, town councilman and retired civil engineer Steve Rucker said.
The culvert is located along South Taylor Street within the community of 332 residents, according to Rucker. Due to its size, the town of Hartsville only has to match 25% of the grant.
“The old culvert has served us well,” Rucker said. “It has done its duty, but now, it’s not needed and in poor condition.”
If the deteriorating structure is not addressed, it will eventually result in a road collapse, he added.
Hope – $112,092
The Hope Town Council extensively discussed several options for second-round CCMG funds before submitting their grant application, according to town manager Jason Eckart.
A decision was made to put fresh asphalt down on West Jackson Street, from Main Street to the bridge over Haw Creek, Eckart said. In addition, some CCMG funds will be spent for sealcoating municipal streets around the town square, as well as on West Jackson Street, from the bridge to the town limits.
With a population of about 2,100 residents, the town will only be required to match 25% of the grant.
Neighboring communities also receiving Round 2 CCMG funds include: Decatur County – $375,009; Franklin – $611.247; Greensburg – $557,104; Johnson County – $1,423,666; Shelby County – $464,250; and Shelbyville – $1,072,931.
