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Adams County wins $636,000 for Bridge 96 and advances $2.6 million guard-rail safety project
Summary
County staff told commissioners that Adams County secured roughly $636,000 in INDOT funds to rehab Bridge 96 and is moving forward on a $2.6 million Highway Safety Improvement Program guard-rail project that will require a local match.
Adams County officials said the county has been awarded approximately $636,000 in federal INDOT funds to replace the superstructure on Bridge 96, which carries County Road 300 East over March Ditch, and to cover construction inspection costs. The funds cover about 80% of construction costs; county staff said the county will be responsible for a roughly 20% match.
The update came from Nate, who presented the application, inspection findings and the county's coordination with INDOT. Nate said the structure's center beams were original to the bridge and that a special inspection identified a need for superstructure replacement. He told the commissioners the construction dollars are tied to fiscal year 2029 (the county's fiscal-year period beginning July 2028) and that the county has not yet received written confirmation on any additional engineering funds (PE) that may have been included in the award.
Commissioners also discussed timing and the limits that come with pursuing federal aid: only certain, eligible bridges qualify and the county must manage its available match dollars across multiple federal projects. Nate said Adams County has secured four federal-aid projects since 2023, totaling more than $10 million in grant funds during the last 24–30 months, and that that record made seeking more projects a balancing act with available local match funds.
On a separate but related highway item, staff updated the board on a Highway Safety Improvement Program (EHSIP) guard-rail project. Staff said INDOT and consultants field-checked six of 50 candidate bridges and that the safety grant totals roughly $2.6 million. The safety grants described were presented as 90/10 or 80/20 match structures depending on the program; for the guard-rail project the county's share was described around $260,000. Staff emphasized designing improvements to reduce roadside run-off, improve shoulder treatments and expand farm access where feasible.
Why this matters: The grants help Adams County stretch local bridge and safety dollars by leveraging federal funds for maintenance and hazard mitigation. Officials said timely pre-engineering helps projects be competitive for federal funding and warned that limited local match dollars and statutory rate caps constrain how many projects the county can accept at once.
Next steps: Staff said they will seek final written confirmation of any engineering (PE) funds from INDOT, continue design coordination and program the work for the indicated fiscal years. Commissioners did not take additional formal action beyond receiving the update.
