North Judson Town Council Votes to Pursue Grant Opportunity Through Highway Safety Improvement Program

North Judson Town Council members received a presentation Monday night about grant funds that would be available to upgrade town signs to new standards.

Officer Manager Mitch Hansel from Fleis and Vandenbrink Engineering informed the council members about funds that would be available to the town in 2024 through a highway safety improvement program.

He said that the federal government is offering a matching grant that would provide money to upgrade town signs to retro-reflectivity requirements.

Hansel noted that as of 2012, it was mandated that signs must have a certain amount of reflectivity to reduce accidents and so they can be better seen at night. He mentioned that retro-reflectivity typically lasts 6-12 years before it begins to fade.

He added that the Town’s signposts would also need to be replaced with newer square posts so they would snap in the case of a collision rather than potentially crashing through the windshield or striking a pedestrian.

Hansel informed the council that there are approximately 485 warning and regulatory signs that need to be replaced. He noted that street and information signs would not need to be upgraded.

To cover the cost of the project, he proposed going for an $86,400 grant that would require a $28,640 match from the Town. Councilman John Rowe asked when the match would have to be provided. Hansel said it does not need to be paid immediately and it would be paid in segments over the next 5 to 6 years.

Council members voted unanimously to pursue the grant opportunity. Though the installation phase would not begin for another couple of years, Hansel said they will apply now and find out if the Town is a grant recipient in February.