The City of Evansville will spend approximately $7.8 million to pave and improve city roadways in 2025, and another $2.25 million to make them safer.

The paving funds are a mix of city budget dollars and Community Crossing grants from the State of Indiana, while the safety projects will be funded by a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation. All of this will allow the City Engineer’s office to move forward on re-striping city roadways, improving visibility on city traffic signals and undertake several paving projects throughout the city. 

“We are aware that there are many roads in Evansville in need of significant repair,” Mayor Terry said. “We drive those roads, and we hear about those roads regularly from drivers who are rightly concerned about road conditions.

“Unfortunately, this is an issue that has been building for years, and even in increasing our own budget allocation– and continuing to receive Community Crossing grant funds from the state – we simply do not have the funds to fully address it today. But we will continue doing everything we can to improve road conditions and to ensure that Evansville’s roads are safe to drive.”

Every 3-5 years, the Metropolitan Planning Organization creates a Road Pavement Index, which scores every road in Evansville based on its condition. The City Engineer’s office then uses this data in determining which roads to pave each year – a decision made based on:

• The condition of the road
• The amount of traffic using the road, and
• The speed limit on the road

In 2025, those factors will lead to the following roads being paved:

In 2025, those factors will lead to the following roads being paved:

     Court Street                      from Riverside Drive                     to Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

                W. Mill Road                       from West City limits                    to First Avenue

                Lincoln Avenue               from Rotherwood Avenue          to Spring Street

                N. Boeke Road                 from Virginia Street                       to Morgan Avenue

                N. Garvin Street              from Division Street                      to Missouri Street

                N. Green River Road     from Morgan Avenue                    to Davis Lant Drive

                N. Kentucky                      from Joan                                           to Cardinal

                N. Kentucky                      from Christ Road                            to St. George Road

                St George Road               from New York Avenue                 to Harlan Avenue

                Washington Avenue      from 8^th Street                                    to Southeast Blvd

                Stringtown Road             from Keck Avenue                          to Morgan Avenue

                Oak Grove Road              from Crosspointe Blvd                 to Enterpise

                Fulton Avenue                 from Buena Vista                           to Mill Road

                Fulton Avenue                 from Cody Street                            to Pigeon Creek Bridge

                Campground Road        from the cemetery                         to Old State Road

                Hitch Peters Road          from Lynch Road                            to ST. George Road

                Allens Lane                        from west city limits                     to Kratzville Road

                N. Barker                            from Franklin Street                      to Mt. Vernon Avenue

The roadways currently scheduled for concrete replacement include:

                Main Street                        from 4^th Street                                  to 5^th Street

However, City Engineer Mike Labitzke noted that, even in paving all of those roads, the Road Pavement Index indicates that the deterioration in other roads in the city means that Evansville will enter 2026 with city roads in collectively worse condition.

“Based on our best estimates, it would cost about $12 million a year to break even on road conditions,” Labitzke said. “Meaning that, if we spent $12 million on the road, we could re-pave and repair enough roads to improve the overall condition enough to match the deterioration of the other roads.

“To truly make a difference in improving our overall road quality would require an investment of close to $20 million, for several years running. And we simply don’t have access to those funds now.”

In recent years, the City Engineer’s office has begun using other methods to increase the life of Evansville roads. Crack sealing holds the pavement together, often buying 3-5 years before the roads need fully repaved. And in 2024, the office used an Asphalt Rejuvenation product to help with the flexibility of recently-paved roads, which is expected to add another 5-8 years to the life of that pavement.

“As we continue to look for additional ways to fund our needed road repairs, we are continuing to use every tool at our disposal to maintain and improve the conditions of our roads,” Mayor Terry said.

The 2025 paving season begins today with milling on Barker and Fulton avenues, Campground Road, and Allen’s Lane.

Meanwhile, plans are being designed for the safety updates designated as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. Those projects include:

• Re-striping all city streets with a posted speed limit of 35mph or higher
• Road striping improvements in the Franklin Street corridor, from Fulton Avenue to First Street
• Road improvements in the John Street corridor – specifically at Heidelbach Avenue, Governor Street, and Garvin Street
• Installation of radar reporting speed limit signs on Diamond Avenue, Covert Street, and Lynch Road
• Traffic signal backplates city-wide, increasing visibility of traffic lights

“As a city, we are always looking for ways to make our residents and our community safer,” Mayor Terry said. “This generous grant from INDOT gives us the opportunity to do that by making sure that the marks on our streets are visible, that our traffic lights stand out, and that drivers are traveling at appropriate speeds on those roads that see some of the heaviest traffic.

“We’re grateful for this opportunity, and look forward to getting to work at making our city streets safer.”