The Indiana Department of Transportation recently awarded $91.5 million to cities, towns and counties statewide through its Community Crossings matching grant program — a component of the 20-year Next Level Roads program established in 2017 by Gov. Eric Holcomb and the state legislature to enhance Indiana's highways and local roads by awarding communities grants for "shovel-ready" local road construction projects.

"Community Crossings continues to provide opportunities for Indiana local communities, large and small, to make connectivity and safety road improvements for Hoosier families and our visitors," Holcomb said in a statement. "The importance of this matching grant program is immediately obvious as we take our award-winning statewide infrastructure network to the next level."

"It's encouraging to see continued dedication and commitment to transportation infrastructure at the local level," noted Indiana DOT Commissioner Mike Smith. "Seeing the completed projects from this program is a reward in itself and a win for the state."

Communities submitted applications for funding during a call for projects in July, with those projects evaluated based on need and current conditions, as well as impacts to safety and economic development.

To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds of 50 percent for larger communities or 25 percent for smaller communities and have an asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges. State law requires annually awarding 50 percent of the available matching funds to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer.

Funding for Community Crossings comes from the state's local road and bridge matching grant fund, noted the Indiana DOT; a fund that provided more than $1.5 billion in state matching funds for local construction projects since 2016.