PLYMOUTH – The City of Plymouth is recalibrating its 2027 street improvement plans after receiving less than half of the $1 million it requested through the state’s Community Crossing Matching Grant program.
Plymouth was awarded $392,000 to improve Berkley Street, which city officials identified as their highest-priority project. However, the total award fell nearly $600,000 short of what the city had applied for, prompting officials to review a list of 27 street projects to determine which can be altered or postponed until 2028.
City Engineer Dan Sellers told Board of Public Works and Safety members Monday evening that INDOT requires Community Crossing Matching Grant-funded projects to be under contract by January 28, 2027. He encouraged the city to move to the bid stage now to ensure the deadline is met.
The city engineer will prepare the project for bid, with plans to open the bids at the December 28 city meeting.
Sellers noted that the engineer’s estimate for the city’s portion of the revised project list is roughly $1.2 million, while the budget sits slightly under that figure at $1.1 million. He cautioned that with fluctuating fuel prices this year, it has become more difficult to accurately estimate projected project costs.
Once bids are received and awarded, Sellers said the city will be able to evaluate the remaining projects on the list and explore ways to trim costs — whether by performing more work in-house, modifying projects, or postponing them to 2028.
