The City of Portage is hard at work preparing for summer and the Indiana Department of Transportation’s annual Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG).
Each year the Indiana Department of Transportation awards matching grants to Indiana cities for their local road projects. This work is part of a statewide effort to ensure Indiana citizens and visitors have access to 21st-century infrastructure.
Sandy McDaniel, department of planning and community development for the City of Portage, is spearheading this work.
McDaniel and her team have successfully earned matching grant funds for the past several years and are hopeful the matching funds will be available in the spring.
“We submitted our grant this week,” said McDaniel. “Traditionally, we don’t receive the funds until early April. Once we receive the funds, we will enter into contracts and finalize plans for this work”
Launched in 2016, the CCMG initiative provides funds for improvements to bridges and roads across the state.
In addition to roads and bridges, matching funds are also eligible for existing Americans with Disabilities Act projects.
In this year’s grant, McDaniel and her colleagues have identified 22 streets they are hoping to invest in over the next 12 months.
“We have identified the streets we hope to resurface and have identified those on the grant application,” said McDaniel.
Besides submitting the grant, the City of Portage has additionally selected strategic potential projects.
“As a 50-50 matching grant, this will be a great help to the city of Portage,” said McDaniel. “With these funds, we are hoping to get some main streets taken care of.”
To support this even further, the Indiana Department of Transportation has increased the possible matching amount from $1 million to $1.5 million for 2024. For McDaniel, this increase in funds is paramount to supporting the City of Portage.
“The increased amount of the grants this year has allowed the city to apply for the full amount,” said McDaniel. “Our final application allocates over $3 million for important work around Portage.”
One of the main projects selected involves Central Avenue from Airport Road to Robbins Road.
Additional work is slated for around Portage including areas of Samuelson Road, Hamstrom Road, and Beechwood Avenue to name a few.
To learn more about the City of Portage and upcoming projects, please visit portagein.gov.
