30 Central Indiana Projects Receive $78 Million in Infrastructure Funding

MPO News
| Wednesday, February 16 | 10:39AM

Today, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) awarded $78 million in state and federal funding for transit, greenway, pedestrian access and trails, and roadway projects across Central Indiana.

Responsible for planning and programming federal transportation funds in the eight-county Central Indiana region, the Indianapolis MPO awarded funding to 15 communities. The awarded projects will go to bid in fiscal year 2024 or 2025 and include the following.

  • Roundabouts in Carmel, Fishers, Greenfield, Greenwood, Noblesville and Plainfield
  • Hornet Greenway pedestrian enhancement in Beech Grove
  • Eagle Creek Greenway extension Phase 1 in Indianapolis
  • Electric buses for the IndyGo Blue Line in Indianapolis
  • Midland Trace Trail enhancement in Noblesville
  • Crawfordsville Road pedestrian access enhancements in Speedway
  • New roadway in Noblesville
  • Madison Avenue reconstruction in Indianapolis
  • Phase 3 of Dan Jones Road widening in Avon

The Indianapolis MPO is responsible for planning and programming federal transportation funds in an eight-county Central Indiana region, and this funding allocation is an annual IMPO process. The recipients were selected from a highly competitive pool, and each funded project requires a local match and is judged based on relative technical criteria including impacts to air quality, improvements to congestion, pavement quality and safety.

“With requests for 72 projects totaling $202 million, it is clear that infrastructure needs in Central Indiana are great,” said Anna Gremling, executive director of the Indianapolis MPO. “This funding will help local governments address the ongoing challenges of building and maintaining the infrastructure that is so critical to the regional and state economies.”

This year’s funding allocation is higher than past years due to the $34.5 million that the region received as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law late last year in state fiscal years 2022 through 2024 in addition to the IMPO’s $50M annual allocation

Federal law requires each urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more to have an MPO, and the MPO planning process is required to receive federal funds for transit, transportation alternatives, and roadway improvements. The Indianapolis MPO encompasses 1,520 square miles and includes eight counties and 31 cities and towns.

The MPO’s annual process includes a call for projects in which member communities submit applications. The MPO staff reviews submitted projects and makes recommendations to the Transportation Technical and Transportation Policy committees.

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