Knox Mayor Outlines Road Project Proposals

City_of_Knox_LogoThe City of Knox hopes to leverage matching grant money from the state to complete up to five road improvement projects. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council last night each is a separate proposal on the application that’s being submitted to the Indiana Department of Transportation. The state awarded one-time Local Option Income Tax distributions to cities, towns and counties, on the condition that 75 percent of that money must be used for infrastructure improvements. Knox got a total LOIT distribution of $268,000.

Projects on the list include the extension of 150 South between Main Street and Roosevelt Road to open up access for school buses and emergency traffic. Estok told the council the school corporation is in support of the endeavor. The Henry Drive connection is also on the list to create an alternative to using State Road 8.

So is the resurfacing of Culver Road between U.S. 35 and 300 East. Estok notes the surface will have to be milled down first and adds strict truck route enforcement will be required if that section of road is redone. Money would also be used for chip and seal work throughout the city.

If Knox qualifies for the maximum match, that will mean $345,550 to spend on roads. The city’s share would be $172,735, according to Estok. He says they’ll know in August if their grant application is approved.

No timeline has been set for the work. Estok says that will depend on the workload for asphalt contractors.