City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Ellettsville, and Stinesville Secure More Than $3.7 Million for Infrastructure Improvements

The City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Town of Ellettsville, and the Town of Stinesville have collectively secured more than $3.7 million in state and federal funding to support road safety and infrastructure improvements throughout the region.

The grants, awarded through two competitive programs—the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and INDOT’s Community Crossings Matching Grant—support projects aimed at improving accessibility, increasing pedestrian safety, and upgrading critical roadway infrastructure.

“These are the kinds of wins residents deserve to hear about,” said Mayor Kerry Thomson. “They demonstrate that we are leveraging outside resources to improve local infrastructure, expand access, and increase safety—without asking more from local taxpayers.”

Through the Highway Safety Improvement Program, awarded in December 2024, the City of Bloomington received $860,940 to modify or reconstruct curb ramps throughout the downtown area to meet current ADA accessibility guidelines.

The project will prioritize areas with lower compliance and high pedestrian-vehicle interaction and may include new bump-outs, improved transit connections, and other context-specific safety enhancements.

Monroe County was also awarded $418,500 through the HSIP for targeted safety improvements along Fairfax Road, specifically addressing several high-risk curves near the following locations: Schacht Rd, Sanders, Bernice Dr, and Cleve Butcher Rd.

In March 2025, the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program awarded $760,262 to the City of Bloomington for maintenance upgrades along North Walnut Street, stretching from the Bypass to just past Old 37. Planned improvements include paving, guardrails, and ADA-compliant curb ramps.

Monroe County received $1.5 million from the same program to support 28 miles of paving projects across the county.

The Town of Ellettsville was awarded $258,182 and the Town of Stinesville received $69,778 to support their local infrastructure improvement efforts.

These awards reflect an ongoing regional effort to strengthen transportation infrastructure through shared goals and collaborative planning.

For more information about these projects or the grant programs, please contact:

• Neil Kopper, City of Bloomington Engineering Department, Senior Project Engineer, koppern@bloomington.in.gov 
• Joe VanDeventer, City of Bloomington Public Works Department, Director of Street Operations, vandevej@bloomington.in.gov 
• Danna Stephens, City of Bloomington Public Works Department, Finance/Grant Manager, workmand@bloomington.in.gov 
• Lisa Ridge, Monroe County Highway Department, Highway Director, ljridge@co.monroe.in.us