County 4: Wayne

My trip to Wayne County was one of my most successful trips to date. After a record number of local officials showed up for our roundtable discussion, we enjoyed lunch at Little Sheba’s restaurant, and went to the ribbon-cutting for the U.S. 40 upgrade near Earlham College.



Vicki Melek, Cambridge City's library director,

gives Lt. Governor Skillman a tour of the new

library. Library officials received a state grant

to turn an abandoned Chevy facility into a library.



The upgrade of the National Road was a $9 million project funded with Major Moves proceeds. Major Moves, our road-building program funded by the lease of the Indiana Toll Road, celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, and it has been a success by any and all measures.

Yet, as I meet with local officials on the Hoosier Crossroads Tour, a common thread has always come up: the rising costs of infrastructure.

It’s not a surprise. Gas tax revenues, which fund most local road building, have not kept up with need. And, with the exception of Major Moves, the state has not been in the financial position to provide a boost to local coffers for roads and streets.

So consider this the first open thread on my Hoosier Crossroads Tour blog. Is road funding the biggest problem local governments face? And what creative ideas do you have for funding this infrastructure?