City of La Porte to receive nearly $1M in federal dollars for major infrastructure improvements

PHOTO CAPTION: City of La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody (second from right) and U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan (second from left) discuss details of the upcoming sewer separation project with members of the City’s leadership team on Monday, July 1, 2024 along Indiana Ave. in La Porte. Thanks to Mrvan, the City is the recipient of nearly $1 million in Community Project Funding from the federal government, which will allow for the separation of nearly 30 percent of La Porte’s combined sewer areas. Pictured, from left: Wastewater Superintendent Jerry Jackson, Mrvan, Dermody and City Engineer Nick Minich.

U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan and La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody today announced the funding of a major infrastructure project along one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

The City of La Porte is the recipient of over $959,000 in Community Project Funding from the federal government, which will assist the city’s ongoing efforts to replace combined sewers with new, separate sanitary and stormwater sewer facilities. Mrvan, who was key in securing these dollars for the city, said he was glad to assist in the funding of such a critical project.

Mrvan stated, “Thank you to Mayor Dermody and all of the leaders with the City of La Porte for this collaborative initiative to improve our infrastructure and water quality for residents and businesses. I look forward to continuing to advocate with stakeholders throughout our region to ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are being brought back to Northwest Indiana to grow our economy and enhance our quality of place.”

The sewer separation project will take place along Indiana Ave. from Lincolnway to Kingsbury Ave, allowing for the separation of nearly 30 percent of the city’s combined sewer areas. The project will be completed in tandem with INDOT’s reconstruction of Indiana Ave/US Highway 35. According to Dermody, the efficiencies of this new system will result in fewer combined sewer overflow events and basement backups, improving both water quality and the overall quality of life for residents. 

“Since the early days of our administration, we’ve talked about the struggles of battling a rapidly aging water and wastewater infrastructure system,” Dermody said. “Our team has made it a priority to chip away at this problem one project at a time, and over the course of last several years we’ve done exactly that. This funding is critical to the next stage of this process, and we are very grateful to Congressman Mrvan for seeing our vision and doing what he can to make it a reality.” 

Construction for this project is expected to begin later this fall. For more information, contact the City Engineer’s Office at 219-362-2327.