Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners this week that he will present two applications in INDOT’s next call for projects.
“500 N. between U.S. 35 and County Road 700 E. is a minor rural collector which is on the National Highway System so that qualifies for a grant,” explained Ritzler. “We met with Hamlet and Hamlet is excited to work with us on it. They’re going to do their portion of the match and that will help us because when you partner like that INDOT is more likely to give you grants. They love to see that.”
Ritzler also plans to submit a bridge replacement application for Bridge No. 59 on County Road 700 S. between County Road 100 W. and County Road 200 West.
Those applications are due by December 11.
Additionally, Ritzler said he submitted applications for INDOT’s Community Crossings Matching Grant program.
“We thought we were done with that! We got the maximum of one million dollars, but our two projects were underbid a little bit so we had $40,000 that we were still able to get. The pipe replacement on 300 E. that I was talking about – we’re going to get them to pay for 75 percent of that if they accept the grant, and the hot mix asphalt paving on 600 E. between 800 N. and 900 N. – it needs it – and it will pay for a lot of that as well.”
INDOT officials accepted those applications and the award announcement will be made in the next few weeks.
