Indiana Community Crossings Matching Grant State FY 2027: Up to $1 Million for Local Road and Bridge Preservation

Indiana Community Crossings Matching Grant State FY 2027: Up to $1 Million for Local Road and Bridge Preservation

Indiana local governments have a new State FY 2027 opportunity to fund road and bridge preservation work through the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Community Crossings Matching Grant Program. The next call for projects is scheduled to open on September 1, 2026, and close at 5 p.m. Eastern daylight time on September 30, 2026. The program is for Indiana cities, towns, and counties, not individual residents, private businesses, or nonprofit applicants applying on their own.

The grant can help a local government turn a documented road or bridge preservation need into a construction project. Eligible work includes preservation of existing local roads and bridges, certain Americans with Disabilities Act improvements connected to preservation work, and material costs for chip sealing and crack filling. The current INDOT programme page says the award cap is $1 million per local government per state fiscal year, within a statewide $100 million annual programme cap.

This is a matching grant, so an award does not remove the need for local funds. The match depends on the population of the applicant: the current programme page lists an 80/20 match for cities and towns with fewer than 12,500 people and counties with fewer than 55,000 people, and a 50/50 match for larger cities, towns, and counties. Local officials should confirm the applicable threshold and current instructions in the live application materials when the call opens.

Key details

What the grant supports

Community Crossings is a preservation programme. That distinction should shape the project from the first planning meeting. The funding is intended for work on existing local transportation assets, rather than a general capital grant for any attractive public-works idea. A proposal to preserve a road segment, rehabilitate an eligible bridge, or perform qualifying pavement treatment is closer to the programme’s stated purpose than a request for a new road, a standalone trail, or a broad streetscape redesign.

The current INDOT description includes road and bridge preservation projects. It also identifies ADA-compliant improvements associated with preservation projects, which can be important when a road project includes related accessibility work. Material costs for chip sealing and crack filling operations are listed as eligible as well. Applicants should describe the connection between each cost and the preservation outcome instead of placing unrelated improvements in the same request.

The award is project-specific. A local government should know which road segments or bridge are being proposed, what work will occur, how the work will be procured, and what the total cost is likely to be. INDOT’s published guidance says applications with vague, incomplete, lump-sum, or contingency-loaded estimates can be found ineligible. That makes technical definition part of the funding case, not a detail to leave for after an award.

The financial support is also restricted by the matching structure. A local government’s potential award depends on both the project budget and the amount it can commit as its share. The statewide $100 million cap and the $1 million local-government cap are ceilings, not promises that every applicant will receive the requested amount. Treat the maximum as a planning boundary and build a realistic scope that the local fiscal body can support.

Who can apply and how the match works

INDOT says Community Crossings is open to all local government units in Indiana. The named applicant types are cities, towns, and counties. A department, consultant, contractor, private landowner, or community group cannot replace the local government as the applicant. The application must be completed by an employee of the local unit of government through INDOT’s application system.

The current programme page lists two match bands. Cities and towns with populations under 12,500 are shown with an 80/20 match, while cities and towns above 12,500 are shown with a 50/50 match. Counties under 55,000 are shown with an 80/20 match, while counties above 55,000 are shown with a 50/50 match. The page does not spell out the equality cases for exactly 12,500 or exactly 55,000 people, so a local official at either boundary should confirm the applicable rule with INDOT before finalizing the budget.

The local share must be real and authorized. INDOT’s guidance describes a financial commitment letter signed by someone with authority to commit the local government. The local share may come from money authorized for a local road or bridge project, but the finance officer, controller, clerk-treasurer, mayor, county commissioners, or other governing authority should resolve the source before submission. A proposal that has a technically sound pavement plan but no credible local match is not ready.

A partnership between local governments may be possible when a project crosses jurisdictions, but each local government must complete an application for its own road segments and define the division of work. An inter-local agreement may be required as an attachment. That is a useful route for connected corridors, but it increases the need for shared mapping, consistent cost estimates, and clear responsibility for construction and closeout.

Eligibility gates to handle before September

The most important preparation item is the Asset Management Plan, or AMP. INDOT says local governments must have a current approved plan, and the programme materials direct local governments to submit the plan through the Local Technical Assistance Program at Purdue University. The current programme page says the annual AMP submission deadline is December 1, with an approval letter required for the following year’s call. A local government should check its current approval status rather than assume that an old pavement inventory is enough.

Road names and locations also need to match the official records. INDOT’s programme page says only roads listed in the Certified Road Inventory are eligible and that road names entered in the application must exactly match the official inventory. Before the call opens, compare the intended project list against the certified inventory, confirm beginning and ending points, and request corrections if the inventory is incomplete. Inventory cleanup can take time, and it is a poor problem to discover while the application clock is running.

The local government must also maintain ADA and Title VI compliance. INDOT states that local governments receiving transportation funding must maintain the required nondiscrimination and accessibility plans. If the applicant has unresolved compliance documentation, it should contact INDOT early. This is a programme eligibility issue, not merely a narrative strength.

Finally, the project must be ready for construction. Published programme guidance describes eligible projects as shovel-ready and says an awarded local must be under contract with a contractor within three months of the award date. A proposal should therefore have a defined treatment, measured quantities, a plausible bid path, and a schedule that can survive procurement. A concept that still needs preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, or major scope discovery is a weak fit for this call.

How to apply

The application is submitted electronically through INDOT’s Technical Application Pathway, commonly called ITAP. The local government should use its own Access Indiana and ITAP accounts. INDOT’s guidance says the person completing the application must be an employee of the local unit of government; a consultant may help prepare technical material, but should not submit under a shared local-government login.

Start by confirming that the agency exists in the ITAP system and that the responsible employee has the correct access. A new agency or user may need an enrollment and approval process, and the published guidance warns that enrollment can take up to a week. That makes account setup an immediate task for any applicant that has not used ITAP recently.

Next, assemble the project information and required attachments. The application should identify the road or bridge, define the work, map the relevant segments, show current condition information, and provide a detailed cost estimate. INDOT’s guidance also identifies a financial commitment letter and an approved AMP among the required documentation. The system may request signing-authority information and an ordinance or other document showing who can bind the local government to the agreement.

A local government may submit multiple projects, but each application is treated as its own project. The published guidance says a road-work application can include up to 25 road segments when they share the appropriate work type, while only one bridge project can be submitted on one application. Confirm those limits and any updated fields in the live 2027 application before submission.

After the call closes, INDOT district programme directors review and score applications, central office compiles the results, and awards are made public. Awarded locals then advertise the project for bid, sign the Local Roads and Bridges Matching Grant Agreement, submit the contractor award and cost documentation, receive the state funds, construct the work, and complete closeout documentation. The obligation continues after the application is submitted.

Timeline for the 2027 call

The current INDOT page gives a clear opening and closing window: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, through 5 p.m. Eastern daylight time on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Do not wait for the last afternoon. Portal access, attachment corrections, signatures, or a mismatch between the road map and the certified inventory can consume the remaining time.

Before September 1, complete account checks, AMP verification, road-inventory checks, field condition review, scope definition, cost estimating, and local match authorization. During September, enter the application in ITAP, upload each required document, review every road name and endpoint, and have an authorized official review the final submission. Save the confirmation and a complete copy of the submitted package.

INDOT’s published guidance says awards are generally announced within a couple of months after the closing date, although the live 2027 page does not promise a specific award date. If selected, the local government should be ready to move into procurement quickly. The guidance says the local must be under contract with a contractor within three months of the award date and must close out the project within the programme’s rules.

Required materials and evidence quality

The financial commitment letter should state the local share and be signed by an official with authority to make that commitment. The amount should reconcile with the project budget and match percentage. Avoid a generic letter that says funds are available without identifying the application or the committed amount.

The detailed cost estimate should be itemized by work type and road segment, with road names and beginning and ending points matching the application map. Do not use an unexplained lump sum. Do not add a contingency simply to make the budget look complete; INDOT’s published guidance specifically warns against contingency-loaded estimates. If prices are uncertain, resolve the uncertainty through better quantities, current unit costs, or a documented estimating method.

The AMP should demonstrate why the project is a preservation priority. Condition ratings, traffic context, pavement history, drainage evidence, bridge inspection information where relevant, and the consequences of deferring work can help the reviewer understand the need. Keep the evidence tied to the proposed treatment. A long inventory without a clear reason for choosing these segments is less useful than a concise, well-supported priority explanation.

The application should also show readiness. Include the procurement path, anticipated schedule, permits or approvals that are already in hand, and the person responsible for construction administration. If an ADA element is included, explain how it is connected to the preservation work. If multiple jurisdictions are involved, attach the inter-local documentation and define each party’s scope.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first mistake is treating Community Crossings as a general infrastructure wish list. New roads, standalone sidewalks, trails, decorative improvements, and unrelated utilities may not fit the preservation purpose. Read the current guidance and remove costs that do not belong.

The second is applying with a road name that does not match the Certified Road Inventory. A small spelling or endpoint difference can create an avoidable eligibility problem. Use the official name everywhere, including the estimate, map, AMP, and narrative.

The third is leaving the match or signing authority unresolved. The application needs an authorized financial commitment, not an informal promise that the council or commissioners may find money later.

The fourth is waiting to create ITAP access. Account setup and agency approval are administrative steps, but they can take days. A consultant should not be the reason an application misses the window.

The fifth is submitting a scope that cannot be procured quickly. The programme rewards readiness because the work must move from award to contract on a short timetable. Confirm quantities, bid packaging, permits, and procurement responsibility before submitting.

Frequently asked questions

Can a private company apply?

No. The named applicants are Indiana cities, towns, and counties. A contractor or engineering firm can support the local government, but the local unit remains the applicant and must submit through its own authorized employee and ITAP access.

Is the $1 million amount guaranteed?

No. It is the maximum award cap per local government per state fiscal year. The final request still has to satisfy eligibility, score well, fit the matching funds, and remain within the statewide $100 million programme cap.

Can the grant pay for a brand-new road?

The programme is for preservation of existing local roads and bridges. A new-road proposal is not a safe assumption of eligibility. Ask INDOT about any unusual project before spending time on an application.

What is the deadline?

The State FY 2027 call is scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Eastern daylight time on September 30, 2026. Applications are scheduled to open September 1. Confirm the live ITAP and INDOT notices in case of an official update.

What should a local government do first?

Check its ITAP access, verify its approved AMP and Certified Road Inventory, identify a preservation-ready project, and secure the local match. Those four checks determine whether the September application can be completed cleanly.

Where can applicants ask questions?

INDOT directs applicants to their District Programme Director for application guidance. The programme page also lists Indiana LTAP contacts for AMP assistance, including Patrick Conner, PE, at [email protected] and 765-494-4971.

Official links and next steps

The INDOT Community Crossings Matching Grant Program page is the controlling public source for the State FY 2027 call dates, applicant types, match information, award cap, inventory requirements, and programme contacts. It also links to the CCMG Guidance Document, which explains the application workflow, documentation, procurement, and closeout rules. Because guidance can be updated between calls, use the version attached to the live 2027 call when it becomes available.

For a local government preparing now, the practical sequence is simple: assign an internal application lead, confirm ITAP access, ask the fiscal authority to approve the match, verify the AMP and certified road inventory, develop an itemized scope and estimate, and schedule a final compliance review before September 30. The opportunity is most useful to communities that already understand their road assets and can move a defined preservation project into procurement soon after an award.