Higher Than Expected Cost Cancels St. Mary's Road Rehab Project

Franklin County Commissioners voted April 1 to cancel various improvements for St. Mary's Road.

(Franklin County, Ind.) - Franklin County motorists will have to put up with the deterioration of St. Mary’s Road for the foreseeable future.

Franklin County Commissioners have slammed the brakes on a project to make repairs to the road near Brookville. The St. Mary’s Road project would have included slide stabilization, new guardrails, pavement, and a bridge replacement.

The Franklin County Observer newsletter reports commissioners got word from the Indiana Department of Transportation that the cost of the project has almost doubled from $1.2 million, up to $2.3 million. However, federal funding for the project has not increased.

The county would be on the hook for the additional $1.1 million from the price increase. Commissioners voted to cancel the project for now.

Commissioner Tom Linkel cited two reasons for the increase, per The Observer. The county’s former engineer underestimated the cost several years ago when the county applied for federal funding. Also, since the grant was awarded in 2017, contractors have raised their prices to cover higher labor costs due to a shortage of workers.