Dubois County seeks INDOT signature for $1 million Community Crossing paving grant; county engineer also pursues $3.79 million bridge safety grant
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Summary
County highway engineer requested authority to sign an INDOT Community Crossing agreement for $1,000,000 to fund about 80% of paving on three roads and described a separate federal bridge safety grant application that could bring up to $3,789,000 to the county for guardrail and end‑treatment upgrades.
Levi Leffert, Dubois County highway engineer, asked commissioners Jan. 5 to authorize the county engineer to sign a Community Crossing agreement with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) for Community Crossing 2026-01, a $1,000,000 award intended to cover about 80% of the paving costs for Club Road, Saint Anthony Road North and 550 West.
"This is basically a boilerplate agreement with INDOT," Leffert said, asking the board for permission to sign electronically via DocuSign. He told the board the project was advertised for bid Dec. 30 and will be advertised again Jan. 6; sealed bids are due by 9 a.m. Eastern on Jan. 20 and will be opened publicly at the next commissioners meeting.
Leffert also described a one-week closure on Saint Anthony Road North to install a precast concrete box culvert, saying the existing pipe was undersized and replacing it before paving avoids tearing into a new road. "This work is to put in a precast concrete box culvert," he said, adding that precast sections allow faster installation and less travel disruption than cast-in-place construction.
On bridges, Leffert said the county will keep Bridge 116 on the priority list after scheduling and staffing delays and that staff are identifying structures that need riprap and scour protection. He told commissioners he applied for a federal bridge safety improvement grant and had an interview scheduled with INDOT's scoring committee; "If INDOT selects us, we could be awarded up to $3,789,000 to put towards this project," Leffert said, noting funds would be used for guardrail and crashworthy end treatments across multiple bridges.
Commissioners approved Leffert's request to allow the county engineer to sign the INDOT agreement on the county's behalf. Leffert also asked interested paving contractors to contact the highway department for bidding documents.
Next steps: bids for the Community Crossing project are due Jan. 20; the board authorized signing the INDOT agreement and Leffert said staff will return to the board with a prioritized bridge list once available.
