Dubois County Awarded Federal Funds for Safety Upgrades on Roughly 60 Bridges

Dubois County has been awarded $2,835,000 in federal funds to implement safety upgrades on roughly 60 county-owned bridges, County Engineer Levi Leffert announced, with design and procurement identified as the next steps for the county. The locally targeted work will focus on installing bridge rail, guardrail and end treatments meant to prevent vehicle runoffs across the county road network.

The award to Dubois County is part of a statewide Indiana Department of Transportation investment totaling $179,800,000. INDOT officials designated nearly $129,100,000 of that statewide allocation to rehabilitate or replace 49 local bridges rated in poor condition, and the program distributed awards to 50 rural cities, towns and counties. The City of Huntingburg separately received $2,268,000 for Veterans Parkway, East 14th Street from Chestnut Street to Main Street, bringing local combined awards in this round to more than $5.1 million.

Local funding mechanics remain unclear in reporting, with two different figures cited by news outlets. The Dubois County Free Press reported that the county "will provide a 10 percent match of $421,000 for the project and anticipates additional funding to cover design and engineering costs." By contrast, the Herald outlined program rules that "communities receiving funding must provide at least a 20% local match" while also noting that the funds awarded are dedicated to construction and that INDOT "will also financially participate in design, engineering and right-of-way components." Those inconsistencies affect how much county budget authority will be required and which costs INDOT will cover.

Mayor Elkins, speaking about the application process in the Free Press, said: "One advantage we had in applying for this award was the fact that we had already completed all pre-engineering, soil testing, obtained easements, and utilized all of our utility departments to provide GIS data needed to further the project." That preparation, the mayor indicated, positioned Dubois County to pursue the construction funds and to move into the design and procurement phase more quickly.

County Engineer Levi Leffert, who announced the award, has outlined design and procurement as immediate tasks; the Herald and Free Press coverage together indicate the county will lead design, development and right-of-way acquisition while seeking INDOT participation for engineering and ROW costs. Officials have not provided a detailed public schedule or a bridge-by-bridge list in the available reports, leaving the precise timeline and per-structure budgets pending as the county transitions from award notification to procurement and construction. The work aims to deliver tangible traffic-safety benefits by strengthening rail and barrier systems at more than 60 county bridges.