Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said $9.4 million in funds for 2025 for city infrastructure improvements ranks as the city’s “largest-ever road resurfacing program, including collector, arterial and neighborhood streets.”

“With more than 175 miles of roadways, plus sidewalks and pathways, along with water and sewer improvements, we’re working smart to enhance and promote sustainability,” Costas said in a release.

“Prior to 2024, the city had been committed to about $3.5 million annually to road maintenance, which was a productive increase over the annual paving budget of just $300,000 when I first took office more than 20 years ago. Certainly, costs have increased, but this aggressive annual budget reflects a renewed priority on roadways.”

The city has launched an aggressive schedule of infrastructure projects this season, working strategically to maximize the miles and lifespan for roadways and capital projects citywide, Costas said.

The 2025 paving program has plans to improve 62 lane miles, plus 40 miles of crack sealing and more than a mile of sidewalks. As part of this year’s efforts, the city will also test a new road preservation method called Rejuvenation on 3.5 lane miles of recently resurfaced streets to help extend their lifespan.

Council member Barbara Domer, D-3rd who serves as the council liaison for the Valparaiso Board of Works, began updating the mayor, council and public about progress in the early spring.

“Last month in May the contract was awarded to Milestone for the local streets package for about $2.9 million with an engineering estimate that was $3.2 million, so that was a money savings,” Domer said.

“The 2025 Community Crossings bid went to Rieth Riley Construction for $3.3 million with an engineering estimate of $3.6, also amounting to extra money left over. But for the 2025 sidewalk package, the bid was approved to New Tech for $652,000 and that was a bit over the engineering estimate but overall, between these two packages, we are still under.”

Costas said among the 2025 project highlights this summer is a city and county partnership led by Valparaiso’s engineering department to fund needed road improvements to Hayes-Leonard and Bartz roads, stretches shared between city and county jurisdiction. Costas said both roads were candidates for paving based on their low PASER ratings.

As part of the Valparaiso “thoroughfare plan,” created more than a decade ago, this summer will be the final phase to complete the extension of Goodrich Road between Ransom and Vale Park roads including a pathway on the west side while allowing for improvements to the water main and adding better drainage, according to Costas.

Funding sources for this season’s paving program include a $1.5 million Community Crossings matching grant awarded through the Indiana Department of Transportation, as well as funds from the local road and street fund and the motor vehicle fund, along with a short-term bond that will not result in the need to raise any taxes or fees, officials said.

Costas reminded targeted roads are selected for paving based on the national PASER (Pavement Assessment Surface Evaluation Rating) rating system which assigns a value of 1 through 10 to each roadway. The number reflects the quality, including the amount and frequency of cracks and potholes. A brand new road is rated a 10 in contrast to older fractured streets requiring extensive reconstruction ranked at 1 and 2.

The city’s engineering department “combines PASER data with other factors such as functional classification and traffic levels to provide a recommendation. We are also aware of future projects pending with Valparaiso City Services and NIPSCO that might affect the timing of projects,” said Max Rehlander, Valparaiso’s director of engineering.

“We work to maximize our funding for the best long-term results.”

In addition to roadway improvements, Valparaiso City Services is focused on $76 million of generational capital improvements in addition to yearly capital replacements to both upgrade and extend the lifespan of the city’s water and sewer infrastructure.

“Investment in our utilities’ infrastructure ensures clean drinking water, a cleaner environment and important safety features — all necessary in maintaining Valparaiso’s quality of life,” VCS Executive Director Steve Poulos said.

Rate adjustments approved in 2024 are funding these projects under a timeline that will continue through 2028.

Among this year’s VCS projects is more than $1.4 million in water main replacements as well as critical hydrant and valve replacements, plus sanitary sewer relining and manhole rehabilitation.

In addition, VCS is finalizing plans for the future of Valparaiso’s water resources which include further investigation and likely implementation for the introduction of lake water as an additional source.

An interactive project list with a complete listing of roadway and capital projects is available in an interactive map at tinyurl.com/ValpoWorks2025. To report a roadway or sidewalk that needs attention, visit valpo.us and enter key information at the “Voice a Concern” icon found on the homepage.

Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.