FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — "If we have a very large flood and it causes the bank to seriously erode, it could collapse part of Bluffton Road." That's the grim future Fort Wayne City Engineer Patrick Zaharako sees if nothing is done on Bluffton Road. Luckily for drivers, the state has come forward to help with a plan to make sure the road remains where it is, firmly above the St. Marys River. "The PROTECT Grant, it's something we applied for and were lucky enough to get," Zaharako said. "It's a grant to protect a section of riverbank along the St.Marys River, really from Brooklyn Road to Engle Road. About half a mile." The grant will bring Fort Wayne $3.52 million, paying for about 80% of the project's total cost. Zaharako said Fort Wayne is the first city in Indiana to receive this grant, and it will help the city protect the area while keeping it a greenscape. Other fixes could result in creating impervious ground that leads to water surface runoff, but the city is looking to blend effective measures with ones that don't impact the environment negatively. "We're looking at green infrastructure fixes. Down near the river level, we'll use a more natural stone and from there on up we'll use a stabilized bank with green plants on top of it that will help minimize that possibility of future slope failures," Zaharako said. "We're looking for a green fix so we don't turn this into a hardscape." Zaharako said the project is still years off. It'll take several years to get through permitting, and more to build it but planning ahead now could save the road in the future.