AASHTO Journal, 18 March 2016
Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson announced that rural cities, towns and counties may begin submitting project applications later this month for an estimated $80 to $100 million in future federal transportation funding.
Speaking before the Purdue Road School conference on March 8, Hendrickson said: “INDOT sets aside a quarter of its federal-highway funds each year for local transportation projects. Keeping the project pipeline full puts this funding to work in improving quality of life, because roads mean jobs.”
INDOT noted that metropolitan planning organizations distribute federal highway funds to cities, towns and counties within the state’s larger urbanized areas, while INDOT distributes funds outside MPO areas.
For this latest round of funding, INDOT said rural communities would design, develop and purchase land for projects that would be bid during the fiscal year beginning in July 2020.
The agency said that as part of its call for project applications, $5 million in federal funding will be made available for sidewalk improvements in rural communities. In addition, INDOT plans to invest $2.5 million each year to improve crosswalks and other sidewalk infrastructure along state highways in both rural and urban communities.
The new sidewalk program is part of a larger “Common Paths” program umbrella that INDOT unveiled. It said that program unifies and implements the agency’s transportation programs and policies regarding transportation planning and design, including bicycles and pedestrians. http://www.in.gov/indot/3419.htm
“Whether you are traveling in a personal vehicle, using public transportation or enjoying various non-motorized forms of travel, we all have common paths in seeking safe, efficient and accessible transportation,” Hendrickson said.