HANCOCK COUNTY — The Indiana Department of Transportation announced nearly $180 million in federal funding for infrastructure projects across Indiana, with Hancock County receiving a significant portion of that money.
In total, the county will be getting more than $13 million dollars, the largest amount of any county in this round of grants, according to the county engineer.
Around $10 million in federal funding was awarded for road safety improvements in Hancock County, including converting the busy intersection at 600 West and 900 North in McCordsville into a roundabout.
For some local drivers, the intersection can be a daily source of frustration.
“There’s a lane ending, and everyone is merging at the last second. It is a little bit dangerous out here,” said Kody Jones, a local driver.
Two additional intersections — at County Roads 400 West and 300 North, and 200 West and 500 North — will also be converted into roundabouts as part of the project.
Hancock County Engineer Gary Pool said crash data and traffic volume played a role in determining where safety improvements were needed.
“We factor in the amount of accidents, the amount of traffic," he told WRTV. “We review with the Sheriff, so that will help reduce some accidents there…I would say it would save 10-15 injuries every year and maybe a fatality every year.”
In addition to the roadway projects, more than $3 million was awarded to improve four bridges across the county.
- Hancock County Local Bridge Project Bridge 27 - Nashville Rd over Sugar Creek, 0.07 miles South of CR 1000N $726,800.00
- Hancock County Local Bridge Project Bridge 75 - CR 300W over Little Sugar Creek, 0.12 miles north of CR 600S $809,600.00
- Hancock County Local Bridge Project Bridge 90 - CR 400S over Brandywine Creek, 1.01 miles west of CR 300E $864,800.00
- Hancock County Local Bridge Project Bridge 118 - Fortville Pike over Sugar Creek
“This is going to prevent us from having to build a six-million-dollar bridge, so we’ll get 50 years of life at one million dollars versus it has to be replaced in 15 years,” Pool said.
Altogether, Hancock County will receive around $13 million for seven projects — the most awarded in this round of grants announced by INDOT.
As the county continues to grow, Pool said the upgrades are necessary to maintain quality of life.
“Everybody is moving here and we just want to make sure it’s a good place to live and that requires keeping our infrastructure up to date from my side of things.”
The grants are expected to cover 80% of project costs, with Hancock County responsible for the remaining 20%.
The county says they are also partnering with McCordsville on a few on the projects.
The projects are still in the early stages, and officials estimate construction may not be complete for at least five years.
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Naja Woods is the In Your Community senior reporter for Lawrence/Hancock counties. She started her journalism career in 2019 after graduating from Knox College in Illinois. She’s always looking forward to making a difference by empowering the diverse communities throughout the area and helping share their unique perspectives through storytelling. Share your story ideas and important issues with Naja by emailing news@wrtv.com.
