Indiana Governor Mike Braun and INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist were on hand Tuesday at the Montgomery County Government Center to present $7.1 million in Community Crossings matching grants to west-central Indiana communities. The awards are part of an $84 million statewide round of funding for local road and bridge improvements. Since its establishment in 2016, the Community Crossings matching grant program has provided more than $2 billion for local infrastructure projects.
“This funding represents more than an investment in roads. This is an investment in our people,” Montgomery County commissioner Dan Guard said. “Since 2016, the Community Crossings matching grants have allowed Montgomery County to pave an additional 64 1/2 miles and preserve 37.3 miles of our roads, essentially doubling the miles we would otherwise not be able to do.”
Grants were awarded to west-central communities in the following amounts:
• Montgomery County, $1,000,000
• City of Crawfordsville, $213,702
• Town of Lizton, $51,300
• City of Greencastle, $1,000,000
• City of Westfield, $911,189
• Warren County, $841,781
• Town of Brownsburg, $839,798
• Clinton County, $686,926
• Town of Plainfield, $670,285
• City of Monticello, $655,195
• Town of Remington, $229,974
Cities and towns receiving grants with a population of fewer than 10,000 people, or counties fewer than 55,000, are required to provide 20% of the funds necessary for project completion, with the remaining 80% provided by the grant. Communities with populations larger than the aforementioned numbers fund projects based on a 50/50 match.
Funding for the fiscal year 2026 was distributed across two rounds following changes to the program approved by the Indiana General Assembly. House Enrolled Act 1461, passed in 2025, reduced the annual funding level for Community Crossings from an average of about $255 million in recent years to a $100 million cap, to now be awarded annually rather than twice yearly. The law also prompted local governments, including Crawfordsville, to adopt wheel and excise taxes in order to protect their matching grant eligibility.
The initial 2026 awards were made in December from applications submitted during an October call for projects. Ladoga received $273,638.40, which the town has used for paving. The second round of funding was later added after lawmakers approved an additional $75 million for the program through Senate Bill 179 in March. The additional funding allowed INDOT to award grants to projects from the existing application pool that had not been previously selected, bringing the total year’s awards to $165 million.
“Every one of our counties is going to get attention to the extent that maybe they haven’t in the past, and infrastructure is the place where it shows up most visibly. We are the crossroads of America,” Braun said. “Our goal is going to be that each year, we increase it above $165 million.”
The Community Crossings grant program stipulates that projects must be under contract within three months of receiving the award. The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners plans to use the Community Crossings funds to pave C.R. 625E from C.R. 500N to State Road 32 East and C.R. 600E from State Road 32E to U.S. 136. Crawfordsville and Lizton will use the funds for street paving.
