WBIW.com News - local

Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana

Monroe County Hoping To Secure State Grant For Road And Bridge Projects

Last updated on Thursday, July 7, 2016

(BLOOMINGTON) - Monroe County officials are hoping to secure state grants to help with improving local infrastructure.

Gov. Mike Pence signed two bills into law earlier this year to provide $1.2 billion in funding for infrastructure improvement projects.

On Friday, one of the provisions of that road funding package went into effect:
The establishment of a local matching grant fund, called the Community Crossings Matching Grant, to help local governments carry out road and bridge projects. The state will provide up to $1 million in funding through the grant, and the county will match the amount if the application is successful.

Officials plan to apply for those funds.

According to a release from the governor's office, the matching grant fund will receive $186 million over the next two years and local governments will be able to apply for the grants, with local entities providing half of the funds for their projects and the grant program contributing the other half. Counties applying for funding from this grant have to take their matching dollars from the motor vehicle wheel tax and excise surtax collected, the county's rainy day fund or revenue from special distribution of local income taxes.

Among the projects the county hopes to use the grant funding toward are improvements to Old Ind. 37 from Harrodsburg to Lawrence County and on Rogers Street between Country Club Drive and Old Ind. 37, as well as for a bridge on Burch Road just north of Graves Road. All the projects combined will cost an estimated $1.9 million and will improve roughly 8.27 miles of roadway in the county.

1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com

© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Click here to go back to previous page