The need
The Town of Montgomery, a rural community of 792 people in Daviess County, lies between Washington and Loogootee along U.S. Highway 50. The highway, which runs the length of town, doubles as the main commercial strip, which includes a gas station, ice cream shop, Dollar General, and a locally owned pub and grill. It also supports heavy traffic and has no pedestrian crossing.
Outside of downtown, residents who want to walk or run have few safe options. The existing sidewalk on the north side of Highway 50 ends just west of downtown at the intersection of Graber Drive, forcing pedestrians onto the shoulder of a busy highway bend. The town's cross-country team trains along the same stretch. Nearly half of Montgomery's residents are 50 or older, and the town ranks in the 94th percentile for transportation insecurity nationally.
A six-way delayed intersection on the north side of town adds another hazard. Three roads and a railroad track converge at two three-way stops separated by roughly 50 yards of open roadway, leading to frequent reports of confusion among drivers and pedestrians about who has the right-of-way.
The opportunity
Montgomery Town Council Member Doug Meiring joined the town board in 2020 with pedestrian safety near the top of his agenda. Montgomery's first connection with Indiana University came in 2025 through the IU Center for Rural Engagement (CRE), which helped the town design and fund a downtown park through a mix of grants and donations.
CRE staff introduced town leaders to the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub (IRFH) team, who worked with Meiring to identify grant opportunities to address Montgomery’s pedestrian safety needs.
The collaboration led to a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant application. SS4A is a U.S. Department of Transportation program that distributes about $1 billion a year to local governments to fund planning and projects that prevent death and serious injury on roadways. Montgomery relied heavily on the Hub team to research, draft, and submit the application, as the town has only one full-time employee and no dedicated grant writer.
While the SS4A application was under review, the town also applied to the AARP Community Challenge for funds to build the missing segment of sidewalk along Highway 50.
Support and resources
The Indiana Resilience Funding Hub provided technical assistance and grant development support throughout Montgomery's application and planning process.
Hub staff identified SS4A as a fit for the town’s pedestrian safety needs, then researched, drafted, and submitted the application. Their work included building the case that Montgomery’s missing highway crossing, the sidewalk gap on Highway 50, and its population’s high transportation insecurity made it a strong candidate for federal safety funding.
The award
Montgomery received an SS4A Planning and Demonstration Grant of nearly $250,000 in December 2025. The award will fund a town-wide safety action plan led by Egis, an engineering firm with prior experience in Daviess County. The plan will cover the Highway 50 shoulder hazard, the six-way intersection, , and a feasibility study for a temporary crosswalk across Highway 50. A Safety Committee established in 2024 will oversee the process and report progress at monthly town council meetings.
The SS4A award makes Montgomery eligible to apply for a second phase of implementation funding to carry out the projects identified in the safety action plan.
In June 2026, Montgomery received a $20,000 AARP Community Challenge grant to construct 298 feet of sidewalk on the north side of Highway 50, extending it beyond the existing terminus at Graber Drive. The project will connect residents on Hillside Drive, North Haag Road, and Westview Drive to downtown businesses. Construction is expected to be completed by late September 2026.
"Without the staff at IU, I just don't know how we would have been able to do it on our own," Meiring said. "For a town our size, to be able to win these grants, we don't have staff that can really allocate the time it takes."
About the Environmental Resilience Institute
Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute bridges academia, applied research, and community resilience to deliver the science-informed, equity-centered solutions needed to flourish in a changing climate. Through community partnerships, transformative research, and immersive learning, ERI is creating a more sustainable and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.
