Fort Wayne’s commitment to having an efficient, effective, and safe transportation system is being noticed at the national, state, and local levels.
Grants:
Federal government - The City of Fort Wayne has been awarded $3.5 million from the Federal Highway Administration’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program. Fort Wayne is the only PROTECT recipient in Indiana.
The Public Works Division will use the funding toward stabilizing 2,400 feet of the west bank of the St. Marys River, utilizing nature-based solutions to prevent additional erosion that is threatening further damage to Bluffton Road. The road averages 23,400 vehicles daily, connects over 100 miles of pedestrian trails, and provides Waynedale and Fort Wayne residents with access to important cultural and economic hubs.
State government - The City of Fort Wayne’s Public Works Division has been awarded $1.5 million from the State’s Community Crossings Matching Grant Fund Program.
The funding, coupled with local dollars, will go toward Phase II of the Woodland Lakes Concrete Street Rehabilitation Project this year, which is one of the City’s comprehensive neighborhood improvement projects. The Community Crossings Matching Grant Funds, which are administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), can cover up to 50% of the chosen project.
Award:
Local private sector recognition - The Fort Wayne Veterans Memorial Bridge has received the 2024 Building Contractors Association of Northeast Indiana (BCA) Excellence in Construction Award in the “Specialty” category.
The $5.3 million investment to renovate the signature gateway Fort Wayne Veterans Memorial Bridge along Lafayette Street and Spy Run Avenue (formerly the Governor Samuel Bigger Bridge) included three lanes for motorists while also providing additional pedestrian width to enhance the connectivity of downtown to The Old Fort and the adjacent neighborhoods, railing to separate vehicular traffic from pedestrian traffic, several bump-out areas for pedestrians above the pier locations to create focal points, a pedestrian plaza area at the southwest corner of the bridge, curved columns featured at the bump-out areas to accommodate accent lighting elements and lighting for illumination of the roadway as well as the pedestrian walkways. The Beacon, a sculpture by local artist Cary Shafer representing the six main branches of the military, is the base for the American flag. R.L. McCoy was the lead contractor on the project, Engineering Resources Inc. was the bridge designer and Design Collaborative was the architect. Over 23,5000 vehicles pass over the bridge each day.
Construction plans:
A record $48.9 million in neighborhood infrastructure improvements will occur throughout the community this construction season.
A complete listing of 2024 investments can be found here - https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/images/stories/mayors_office/2024_Public_Works_Infrastructure_Projects.pdf
*$400K - sidewalk repairs (50% cost share)
*$1.5M - miscellaneous concrete repairs, including in-house work
*$250K - curb repairs
*$400K - trip hazard elimination & levelling
*$500K - ADA curb ramp packages
*$300K - guardrail and attenuator repairs
*2 major arterial improvement projects
*10 neighborhood street rehab projects
*28 miles of contracted asphalt resurfacing (includes several multi-lane arterials)
*9 miles of asphalt in-house resurfacing
*2 bridge rehab/replacement projects
*1 brick street repair project
*17 concrete alley replacements
*4 new sidewalk construction projects
*6 new trail projects
*10 traffic projects
*13 street lighting projects
*10 miles of chip and seal to asphalt conversions
*41 projects in study, design, permitting or land acquisition stage
*Public Works will also bid a fifth resurfacing package using ARPA funds in the qualified census tract areas
Projects carried forward from 2023
*2 major arterial rehab projects
*2 trail projects
*3 neighborhood rehab/reconstruction projects
Of the $48.9 million, $37.5 million will be for streets/roads/bridges, $9.3 million will go toward sidewalks and alleys, and $2.1 million is set aside for trails. Since 2014, the City has invested more than $340 million in neighborhood infrastructure enhancements.