INDOT Gives Warsaw $875K For Argonne, Parker Project
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Indiana Department of Transportation recently awarded Warsaw $875,000 to be used for Argonne Road and Parker Street improvements.
The funds may be used for up to 80 percent of the projects' eligible costs.The project will include restructuring the Argonne Road, Center and Parker streets intersection. That portion of the project will eliminate a stop light and make the intersection more of an "S" curve instead of the current dog-leg configuration.
Parker Street from Center Street out to U.S. 30 will be completely reconstructed with sidewalks and street lights.
The project will be completed in two phases. The Argonne Road improvements will be completed first, and the Parker Street improvements will follow.
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the cost of the project increased in 2000 so the city asked INDOT for additional funding for the project.
"The money will allow us to install the two traffic signals to eliminate some of the congestion and confusion on Argonne Road and Center Street," Wiggins said.
Wiggins said the city also will undertake a road improvement project this summer, repairing Argonne Road to Jefferson Street down to the Winona Lake viaduct.
Warsaw City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the Argonne Road and Parker Street project will go to bid in May with plans to have it completed by August 2010.
Skinner said the $875,000 grant will be added to the $3.2 million grant the city received from INDOT with funds received in 2000 and 2006.
Other cities that received portions of the $9.4 million in Federal Highway Administration Group 3 funds were Auburn, Columbia City, Huntington and Marion.
Auburn was awarded $1.3 million for the Betz Road project; Columbia City was awarded $2.9 million for the Ind. 205 project; Huntington was awarded $2.5 million for the Etna Avenue project; and Marion was awarded $1.7 million for the Butler Avenue project.
City officials provided detailed presentations before an award panel at the INDOT Fort Wayne District building in January, according to an INDOT press release.
After district officials reviewed numerous applications and made their recommendations, a selected committee in Indianapolis confirmed the Group 3 awards last week.
Group 3 cities and towns have populations between 5,000 and 50,000 and are outside urbanized areas with Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
On a statewide basis, INDOT received $70 million in funding requests. Each project was carefully reviewed and scored at one of six INDOT district offices, along with the Local Public Agency Project Selection Committee.
The committee awarded more than $29 million in available funding to 22 projects throughout the state. Most projects will begin construction in 2012-2013.
