The City of Valparaiso is embarking on its largest-ever paving season, appropriating $8.8 million to fund an aggressive schedule of sidewalk and roadway improvements that include collector, arterial and neighborhood streets. “Historically, over the past several years, we have been committing about $3.5 million annually to road maintenance. This aggressive budget of nearly $9 million reflects a renewed priority on roadways,” said Mayor Jon Costas.
In further good news, the bids for projected projects came in lower than expected. “Due to the quality bids we received at lower rates than anticipated, we’re pleased to announce that we will be able to share a third paving package later in June,” said Max Rehlander, Engineering Director for the City of Valparaiso. “Look for paving work to begin in June and to include more than 31.7 lane miles of roadway and an additional 1.3+ miles of sidewalk this season – and that’s before we award the third package,” said Rehlander.
Funding sources for the 2024 paving program include a Community Crossings matching grant awarded through the Indiana Department of Transportation, along with funds from the local road and street fund, riverboat funds and the motor vehicle fund, with no need to raise any taxes or fees. While the list of roadways selected for work continues to evolve, decisions are made using a variety of information, such as usage, safety, condition and cost. In addition, Valparaiso’s Engineering Department is uniquely aware of future projects pending with Valparaiso City Utilities and NIPSCO that would require disruption of the roadway.
View Interactive Map of Projects
The City’s Engineering Department has created an interactive map showing roadway projects, including life-extending crack sealing, as well as sidewalk projects. The map allows users to find all 2024 infrastructure improvements and even enter addresses to find projects nearby. By clicking the project location on the map, users can learn more about the project scope and location. The map is available at https://tinyurl.com/ValpoWorks2024.