Community Crossing Matching Grant awards announded, Plymouth, Bremen & Marshall County left out

Gov. Mike Braun joined local officials from across northwest Indiana on Tuesday to present awards for INDOT's Community Crossings Matching Grant program. $100 million in state matching funds were announced for 191 Indiana cities, towns, and counties.

Launched in 2016, the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program provides funding to cities, towns, and counties across Indiana to make improvements to local roads and bridges. Community Crossings is a partnership between INDOT and Hoosier communities, both urban and rural, to invest in infrastructure projects that catalyze economic development, create jobs, and strengthen local transportation networks. Projects that are eligible for funding through Community Crossings include road and bridge preservation projects with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance in connection with these projects. Material costs for chip sealing and crack-filling operations are also eligible for funding.

Communities submitted applications during a call for projects in October. Funding for Community Crossings comes from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund. The program has provided more than $2 billion for local road improvement projects since its inception in 2016.

Locally, both the City of Plymouth and Marshall County applied for the maximum amount of $1 million.  Mayor Robert Listenberger and County Commissioner Stan Klotz were disappointed that they received no grant funds.  In fact, the only communities in Marshall County to receive Community Crossings Matching Grant Funds were Argos in the amount of $34,672 and LaPaz for $157,600.  Bourbon and Culver did not apply for grant funds in this round. Bremen applied for $718,460 but did not get an award.   

The Indiana General Assembly identified long-term funding for Community Crossings as part of House Enrolled Act 1002, passed in 2017. Following changes outlined during the 2025 legislative session, the program cap is now set at $100 million per year, and the annual cap is reduced to $1 million per local unit of government per state fiscal year. An additional change is a reduced local match for smaller communities.

Community Crossings is open to all local government units in the State of Indiana. Match Percentages are:

• Cities and towns with a population of less than 10,000 people will receive funds using an 80/20% match.
• Counties with a population of greater than 55,000 people will receive funds using a 50/50% match.
• Cities and towns with a population of greater than 10,000 people will receive funds using a 50/50% match.
• Counties with a population of less than 55,000 people will receive funds using an 80/20% match.

The next call for projects will open in July 2026.