WABASH VALLEY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– For Thomas Estabrook, the importance of Indiana’s “Community Crossings” program can’t be understated.
“To be able to see streets see a paving machine for the first time in three or four decades is really unbelievable,” Estabrook, the mayor of Bicknell, said. “It’s something that can fundamentally change what small communities can do, how they can grow.”
His statements come on the heals of Bicknell receiving just short of a million dollars– $999,084, to be exact– to improve their roads in 2023. Estabrook said they have about a dozen roads around the city they are looking to work on, with the biggest project being on Russell Drive, which leads to the industrial park.
“It will completely redo a major connecting street from the highway to the center of town, which I think is going to improve traffic flow coming into town, and overall is going to increase the value of the industrial park,” he said.
And Bicknell isn’t the other community that has benefitted over the last few years. On the edge of the county line between Vigo and Sullivan lies Farmersburg. It received just under $850,000 this year.
Town council President Jerry Baker said the money is split into two grants– a $280,000 grant to improve roadways, and a grant around $560,000 to completely pave gravel roads. The streets being affected are Iowa Street, Franklin Street and California Street.
He said these projects are long overdue.
“It will make a big difference to a number of people in town, because some of those gravel roads have been in subdivisions for 15-20 years, and they’ve fought with mud and dust all the time. So this is going to enhance the area,” he said.
He said the grants gave the town a chance to create a ten-year plan that focuses on improving sections year-by-year.
“We’re fighting to get our roads fixed and updated so we can entice… people to come to town, small industry to come to town,” he said.
It is a matching grant, meaning both communities are putting 25% in towards the total cost of the project– the state contributes 75%. They hope to start construction sometime in the Spring.
