Ratings of county’s bridges & rural roads increase due to state support
Hamilton County, like many Hoosier counties, is struggling to maintain the roads within its unincorporated areas. Material supply issues and unpredictable inflation have increased the cost of road projects statewide by 23 percent and bridge projects by 40 percent.
Davis
“Roadways and bridges continually deteriorate and need attention to preserve the pavement in an acceptable condition,” Highway Director Bradley Davis said. “Fortunately, Hamilton County has received a number of Community Crossings Matching Grant awards to help supplement the funding needed to help with road and bridge preservation.”
House Enrolled Act 1002, which was signed by Governor Eric Holcomb in April 2017, created the Community Crossings Matching Grant program. The competitive grant program allows cities, towns, and counties the opportunity to apply for up to one million dollars in matching funds to improve roads and bridges.
County roads are evaluated annually on a one to 10 scale. An overall minimum rating of 6.5 is desired. Hamilton County’s rating was the minimum desired rating of 6.5 at the end of 2016, just before the Community Crossings program was introduced. That rating has since improved to 7.35, the highest it has been in the past nine years.
Bridges throughout the county are also evaluated annually on a 0 to 100 scale. Hamilton County has maintained a bridge deck condition rating of 80 for the past 28 years. It has since improved its overall bridge condition rating to an 86.
Dillinger
“These improvements are largely due to the Community Crossings program,” County Commissioner Steve Dillinger said. “Hamilton County would like to thank the Indiana General Assembly and the Indiana Department of Transportation for the grant program and awards. They have been instrumental in allowing the county to maintain our system in a good condition.”