INDOT considers 'nonbridge' solutions for Cline Avenue closure in Lake County

EAST CHICAGO | A top state transportation official Tuesday confirmed plans are being floated to resolve the Cline Avenue situation without building a new bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal.

Indiana Department of Transportation Chief of Staff Bob Zier told an afternoon hearing audience at East Chicago High School that as recently as lunch that afternoon, an area leader had told him about other solutions to the dilemma that do not involve building a new bridge to replace the one condemned Dec. 28.

"There may be other opportunities to help the area with other transportation that doesn't have to go over the canal," Zier told about 60 people before the start of public comments.

However, Zier made it clear the idea of not replacing the bridge -- instead constructing another route to handle the 35,000 vehicles per day that once flowed over the span -- is only one of a number of options being floated. Replacing the span with another bridge is a top option for many and one INDOT is giving its full attention, he said.

"If the feeling is we need another bridge, we will move post-haste to do that," Zier said.

No community leader took to the microphone to speak against building a new bridge. But some leaders and local residents alluded to broader plans that could increase access to Lake Michigan in line with the Marquette Greenway Plan while still handling the trucks and cars that once used the Cline Avenue bridge.

"The challenge is to see if there are any other improvements that can and should be made that would allow traffic to flow, but also allow our area to grow and prosper," Northwest Indiana Forum CEO Mark Maassel said.

East Chicago resident Paul Myers said designs for any new route should have the good of neighborhoods and access to lake Michigan as top priorities. He also mentioned the Marquette Plan, which was first proposed by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., more than a decade ago and now is taking shape in the form of lakefront parks.

Some speakers advocated for building a new bridge as the quickest way to resolve the traffic problems local communities now face because of the bridge closure.

"My concern is if we start talking about the Marquette plan and moving the facility (Cline Avenue), you will have to acquire right-of-way and you will turn a two- to three-year project into a 10-year project," city of Hammond Engineer Stan Dostatni said.

Northwest Indiana Federation of Labor President Dan Murchek argued for fast-tracking the demolition of the condemned bridge and the construction of another.

"There is nowhere else to put this roadway," Murchek said. "It would be an enormous mistake to move this roadway anywhere else."

South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Speros Batistatos said the closure of the bridge is definitely affecting the hospitality industry, particularly casinos along the lake.

He argued for local leaders working closely with INDOT and not vetting their ideas in public. He pledged those leaders will identify opportunities and "won't snipe in the newspapers."

About 60 people attended the hearing, the first open public forum hosted by INDOT since the Cline Avenue bridge was permanently closed.

The hearing was presided over by Zier, whom Gov. Mitch Daniels has made his point man on the Cline Avenue bridge. Zier had half a dozen other INDOT officials in tow, who explained everything from the history of the bridge to the current short-term projects to deal with the traffic spillover on local streets.

Zier laid out a timetable for replacing Cline Avenue that could have work under way on a new bridge or other alternative route by 2012.

In comments after the meeting, Zier said INDOT is trying to determine if there are some "nonbridge" options for Cline Avenue. He also pointed out there are already two other bridges over the canal in close proximity to the condemned span.

INDOT hopes to have all comments gathered by the end of this month and present the best alternatives for replacing Cline Avenue by early summer, Zier said.

Ronald Hayes, an East Chicago resident and veteran of more than 40 years at Inland Steel, told Zier he and other residents were shocked when INDOT announced the bridge was unsafe and "temporarily" closed it Nov. 13.

"I just hope we can get this all done together as quickly as possible," Hayes said.