Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority gets $20 million airport request

GARY/Chicago International Airport officials on Tuesday asked the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority for $20 million to help fund a runway extension project.

It is the largest request yet made of the RDA, easily surpassing the South Shore railroad's $7.8 million request to purchase a dozen new rail cars. The airport money would come from a special $20 million set-aside from the Indiana Toll Road lease.

Airport officials asked for the money in two stages: $8.2 million this year and $12.8 million next.

The money will be spent on land acquisition and work on relocating the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway tracks that run just 130 feet from the main runway's northwest end.

"This project has a tremendous affect on our ability to draw commercial air traffic," airport director Chris Curry told the seven-member RDA board.

The airport has been without regularly scheduled passenger service since Hooters Air ended flights from the airport in January.

The bulk of the runway extension project will be funded with $57.8 million in Federal Aviation Administration funds to be paid out to the airport over the next 10 years.

Airport officials plan to have the project completed much more quickly than that. Ground could be broken on the railroad relocation this winter and planes could be landing on a new 9,000-foot runway by mid-2009, according to Curry.

The RDA also learned Tuesday night that the South Shore's quest for 12 new rail cars has run into a roadblock.

Indiana Commissioner of Transportation Tom Sharp has told the railroad his department does not have enough in federal pollution reduction funds to come up with the $31.2 million the railroad had hoped for.

The railroad has asked the RDA to fund $7.8 million of the purchase and planned to use the pollution reduction funds for the balance of the $39 million price tag for the 12 cars.

South Shore general manager Gerald Hanas told the RDA Sharp advised him to seek funds from Major Moves money the state is parceling out to the counties and RDA. Sharp also said he would get back to Hanas on how much INDOT can contribute by Sept. 30.

The South Shore wants to piggyback its order on a larger order Chicago's Metra commuter rail is placing with the manufacturer. Hanas said the South Shore must do that by the end of the year.

The railroad wants the cars to deal with a dramatic surge in ridership. Eight rush hour trains currently operate with standing room only and ridership overall is growing at a 12.3 percent annual rate.