Delphi receives half million dollar grant to construct replica canal boat
Comet staff report

The City of Delphi has been awarded $550,392 to help fund the construction of a replica canal boat and related support structures to preserve and interpret the historic Wabash and Erie Canal. The boat will be located at the Interpretive Center at Canal Park.

The award is part of more than $20 million in Transportation Enhancement (TE) funds being distributed statewide by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).

Transportation enhancements are transportation-related activities that strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the nation's inter-modal transportation system. The funds are used for projects such as multi-use trails, streetscape improvements and historic bridge rehabilitation.

The City of Monticello was also a recipient of TE funds. The City was awarded $455,200 to fund the rehabilitation of an historic two-span Whipple Truss bridge over Lake Freeman and the Tippecanoe River. The 454- foot bridge is believed to be the longest Whipple Truss bridge in existence.

Each year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sets aside funds that states award to municipalities for the development and construction of projects enhancing the existing transportation system. Indiana's TE Program allows funding for transportation projects to expand beyond the tra- ditional accommodations for cars, trucks, buses and transit.

All TE projects include a required 20 percent local match to demonstrate a strong local commitment to the project.

As part of Governor Mitch Daniels' Hoosiers on the Move trails initiative, statewide TE funding for multi-use trails increased from $10 million to $15 million. Multi-use trails are gaining popularity in many Indiana communities, and the state's ten-year goal is to have a trail within 15 minutes of every Hoosier.