By Gitte Laasby, Post-Tribune
glaasby@post-trib.com
Two and a half weeks after the state closed a four-mile stretch of Cline Avenue, the Indiana Department of Transportation still has not released the report that led to the closure.
INDOT shut down the road between Calumet Avenue in Hammond and Michigan Avenue in East Chicago for safety on Nov. 13 after reading the report by the URS Corp. consulting company.
The report said structural parts of the elevated highway are severely corroded. Cline Avenue is expected to be closed for a minimum of six weeks.
The Post-Tribune requested the report two weeks ago, but has yet to receive the document.
"We are in the process of gathering the information you requested. As soon as I have the information I will send it to you. We ask for your patience during this time," INDOT spokeswoman Angie Fegaras said in an e-mail when the Post-Tribune requested an update Monday.
In response to the paper's initial request, Fegaras said, "We will try to produce all records as quickly and completely as possible. We work with reasonable speed to produce records -- given INDOT's workload and other records requests."
Stephen Key, attorney with the Hoosier State Press Association, said INDOT should explain the delay.
"They're not giving you a reason for why it's taking so long" to get the report, he said. "I'd think if they have a report, it shouldn't be that hard to give a copy of that report to you."
Because state law does not provide a deadline for releasing public records, it is determined on a case-by-case basis how much time is reasonable to respond, Key said.
Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, also requested the report from INDOT, but has not received it either.
"I expect to talk to the INDOT representatives myself (today) to see how soon we can get these reports released to the public," she said. "Or to see if there's any reason why they can't be released immediately."
Jane Jankowski, spokeswoman for Gov. Mitch Daniels, did not return a call for comment on the delay.
INDOT's Fegaras did not respond by deadline to an e-mail asking how much the state paid the consulting company to conduct the inspection and write the report.