Redkey, Dunkirk, Portland receive grants

Three Jay County communities will receive funding for paving projects.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Transportation on Friday announced more than $91 million in funding through the Community Crossings grant program, including more than $130,000 each for Redkey, Portland and Dunkirk.

"Community Crossings continues to provide opportunities for Indiana local communities, large and small, to make connectivity and safety road improvements for Hoosier families and our visitors," Holcomb said in a press release. "The importance of this matching grant program is immediately obvious as we take our award-winning statewide infrastructure network to the next level."

Redkey received the largest funding amount in Jay County with a grant of $163,686.75. (The funding requires a 25% local match, putting Redkey’s commitment at about $55,000.)

The City of Portland received a $153,164.10 Community Crossings grant, which will require a local match of about $51,000.

INDOT awarded Dunkirk $132,093.75, which will require a match of about $44,000.

The funding will go toward paving the streets in Quincy Place — Hard Drive, Merry Court and Shrack Lane — as well as Washington Street on the west side of the city. (Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins had planned to apply for the Quincy Place streets a year ago, but they had inadvertently been left off of the city’s asset management plan. Instead, the city received a Community Crossings grant for paving all of Mount Auburn Street, Lincoln Avenue on the west side of the city and Angle Street on the north side of the city.)

Grant applications were turned in to the state in July.

Nearby communities that joined Redkey, Portland and Dunkirk in receiving funding include Randolph ($971,250), Wells ($416,624.35), Delaware ($332,542) and Blackford ($239,973) counties as well as Bluffton ($1 million), Winchester ($650,316.57), Berne ($579,883.44) and Union City ($262,452.00).

"It's encouraging to see continued dedication and commitment to transportation infrastructure at the local level," said INDOT commissioner Mike Smith in a press release. "Seeing the completed projects from this program is a reward in itself and a win for the state."

Since it was established in 2016, Community Crossings has provided almost $1.5 billion for local road improvement projects.