Main Street is Griffith will receive a full makeover now that the town has approval of a $1.5 million matching grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).
The Griffith Town Council announced the grant award at its meeting on April 16. INDOT’s Community Crossing Matching Grant (CCMG) will cover half of the estimated $3 million cost of the project, which is expected to commence sometime during 2024.
The town will pay its portion of the matching grant with remaining funds from the town-wide sidewalk project or other leftover bond funds that allow for this work, according to Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.
Griffith is planning a complete rebuild of Main Street, including new curbs, gutters and widened lanes. The second part of the project involves the construction of a new drainage system that will convey stormwater to the Wood Street pumping station at the Cady Marsh Ditch. Currently, there is no drainage along Main, as the water drains into the adjacent ground or sits on the road or existing businesses until it can run off into the grassy areas.
The new storm pipe will run along Main to Wood and then head north to Lake Street where it will connect with existing infrastructure. Stormwater will flow to the pumping station on Wood, which will discharge it into the Cady Marsh Ditch, then make its way to the deep tunnel on Arborgast Street and finally deposit into the Little Calumet River.
The town is also moving ahead with an intersection improvement at Broad Street and Avenue H. Accordingly, the town council approved an engineering services agreement with Butler, Fairman & Seufert Inc. of Indianapolis, to design the project and perform necessary field work.
The project will give Griffith its first roundabout, which Ryfa described as similar to the one currently located in Schererville on Cline Avenue south of U.S. 30. The project would be funded as an 80-20 split whereby the town would pay 20% of the cost and the state picking up the rest.
Jim Masters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.