Cline Avenue closure impact wide spread in Lake County

EAST CHICAGO | The fate of the Cline Avenue bridge may still be fuzzy, but the necessity of rebuilding the structure is crystal clear.

That was the message members of the Cline Avenue Coalition presented at the Lakeshore Chamber meeting Wednesday at Ameristar Casino.

The eight panelists detailed the impact of the bridge's closure since the state permanently shut it down Dec. 28 and urged those attending to communicate this message to Gov. Mitch Daniels, legislators and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

The 32-member coalition formed in early January brings together the mayors of East Chicago, Gary, Hammond and Whiting, along with representatives from business, industry and tourism.

Ameristar's senior vice president and general manager Pete Savage said the bridge's closure has had "a tremendous impact" financially on the casino.

"Unlike other industries that can take their products out of the area, we rely on people coming in," Savage said. "Frankly Ameristar purchased the property with the understanding that there would be a Cline Avenue bridge."

Public safety is also compromised because the 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles that once traveled daily along North Cline Avenue are now on surface streets and other major arteries, said Stan Dostanti, chief engineer for the City of Hammond.

"I don't think they have the sense of urgency downstate," Dostanti said. "Call INDOT. Call the governor."

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, agreed that state officials need to make Cline Avenue replacement a priority.

"We have a governor who put together a plan for economic development and put the Illiana Expressway (approval) on that agenda," Randolph said. "This should be on his agenda just like the Illliana Expressway."

Two-thirds of the current bridge is failing, but that one-third could be saved, said Chris Murphy, an engineer with Indianapolis-based American StructurePoint and a liaison between the Coalition and INDOT. And, if a new bridge were built in the footprint of the current structure, no land acquisition or environmental mitigation would be needed, he said.

The demolition of the bridge would be the first step, but would present problems because of its height, Murphy said. However, he said, even if demolition and construction began soon, the project wouldn't be complete until about 2013.

And although INDOT has indicated money is available for construction, the $90 million price tag doesn't include demolishing the current structure, which adds another $30 million, Randolph said.

"The state has budget problems and the governor has made cuts," he said. "He (Daniels) has the discretionary power to move funds. If the governor takes money away (from the Cline Avenue project), it will take even longer."