Crawfordsville officials celebrated the completion of the Schenck Road extension with a ribbon cutting on Friday, marking the completion of a new north-south corridor connecting the area toward State Road 32.
“This is a really exciting project for us,” Mayor Todd Barton said.
Barton said the extension improves safety and efficiency while opening the area to future development and housing.
“Most people don’t realize that there’s really not a north-south corridor in our community, a public north-south corridor all the way from Grant Avenue to 200 West,” Barton said. “It opens the area up to future development, future housing, and all the things that could happen in this area. I’ll just say it’s part of a much bigger puzzle that we’re trying to piece together, thinking down the road in 10, 15, 20 years, how we can start connecting all these pieces around the city. So really excited to see this move forward today.”
Barton thanked HWC Engineering, Calumet Civil Contractors, the Montgomery County Community Foundation and the Indiana Department of Transportation for their work and support on the project.
Most of the property in the area was owned by the Montgomery County Community Foundation, Barton said. The project was funded through an 80-20 partnership with INDOT.
Brandy Allen, director of operations and community development for the city, said the project was completed ahead of schedule with the ribbon cutting being a last-minute decision.
“For everyone involved, this is one of the few projects that we’ve ever had once we started construction that was under budget and early, and that does not happen ever in a project,” Allen said.
Allen thanked the City Council, Redevelopment Commission, Board of Public Works and Safety, Montgomery County Commissioners, the project manager, HWC Engineering, INDOT and Calumet Civil Contractors for their roles in the project.
“This project probably would not have happened without their support and their contributions,” Allen said.
The project was funded in part through a $2.38 million federal grant awarded in 2020. The grant provided 80% of construction costs. The project was part of the city’s plans to support future housing and development on the south side.
