Fort Wayne Awarded $23M Grant for Airport Expressway Overpass

The new overpass will eliminate dangerous train crossing and support city's Vision Zero safety policy.

Published on Mar. 11, 2026

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The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana has been awarded a $23 million federal grant to build an overpass on the busy Airport Expressway, raising the road 23 feet above the train tracks just west of Bluffton Road and north of the airport. The project, which is expected to take at least 5 years to complete, will eliminate the need to stop on the expressway when trains are passing, improving traffic flow and safety in the area.

Why it matters

The new overpass is a key part of Fort Wayne's Vision Zero policy, which aims to eliminate fatal and severe-injury crashes. The current at-grade train crossing on Airport Expressway has been a longstanding safety concern, with the potential for collisions between vehicles and trains.

The details

The overpass project will extend 1,000 feet in each direction along the crossing, raising the road by 23 feet to ensure safe passage of train cars. While the total cost of the project is not yet known, the city has secured a $23 million federal grant to help fund it, with the remaining local match expected to come from the city's tax increment financing area.

  • The project is expected to take at least 5 years to complete, with construction not wrapping up until around 2030.
  • The city received the $23 million grant on Tuesday, March 11, 2026.

The players

Patrick Zaharako

Fort Wayne City Engineer, who has been working on this project for many years.

Fort Wayne

The city in Indiana that was awarded the $23 million grant to build the Airport Expressway overpass.

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What they’re saying

“This project we've been working on for many years, to get to this point, we've got many years to go.”

— Patrick Zaharako, Fort Wayne City Engineer (WANE)

“So when there's a train coming through, we don't have to stop on the Airport Expressway anymore, and there's no more safety concerns or fatalities from train accidents.”

— Patrick Zaharako, Fort Wayne City Engineer (WANE)

What’s next

The city will begin planning the overpass project now that the $23 million in funding has been secured, with construction expected to start in the next few years and be completed around 2030.

The takeaway

The new Airport Expressway overpass in Fort Wayne is a critical infrastructure project that will improve traffic flow, enhance public safety, and support the city's Vision Zero policy to eliminate fatal and severe-injury crashes. This long-awaited project demonstrates Fort Wayne's commitment to investing in transportation solutions that benefit the entire community.