BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com
Indiana will become part of the solution when it comes to handling fallout from simultaneous construction projects next spring on the Dan Ryan Expressway, Chicago Skyway and Kingery Expressway.
Northwest Indiana traffic planners will join a task force formerly made up of the private Chicago Skyway operator, Illinois Department of Transportation and City of Chicago.
The invitation to Indiana came at a meeting Thursday between transportation officials from both states at the Gary/Chicago International Airport.
"The significance of this meeting cannot be overstated," said John Swanson, executive director of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. "Northwest Indiana and Chicago are just so intertwined -- joined at the wallet in many cases."
The construction projects are sure to create hardship and occasional nightmares for Northwest Indiana residents who commute to Chicago.
IDOT officials expressed surprise in November when they learned a new construction project on the Skyway would start in 2006. It will coincide with the start of $600 million in reconstruction work on the Dan Ryan (I-90/94) and the last year of work on the Kingery (I-80/94) just west of the Indiana line.
The Skyway project will be the first major one undertaken by new owner Skyway Concession Co. LLC, a subsidiary of the Cintra-Macquarie Consortium.
Fernando Redondo, Skyway Concession chief executive officer, said his company was surprised that people were surprised.
"It was always in our contract," the CEO said at Thursday's meeting. "It has been there from day No. 1."
He also squashed any last hope the project might be put off.
"We don't see any advantage of doing this work three years from now rather than now," Redondo said. "If we wait, say two years, it would only worsen the situation and wouldn't help anyone.
"And it would definitely not help us," Redondo added.
Redondo was invited to the meeting by NIRPC. The Skyway CEO was the person attendees most wanted to hear from, perhaps with some faint hope the project could be put off.
That mile mark was passed some time ago, according to Heather Tarczan, from IDOT's department of external affairs. Both Skyway Concession and IDOT have determined there is no turning back now from their respective projects.
The Indiana Department of Transportation and NIRPC are the prime candidates for joining the task force. It was formed earlier this year to see if any construction could be delayed, Tarczan said. It is now concentrating on finding alternatives to Dan Ryan and Skyway travel at peak hours.
As early as Feb. 15, Skyway Concession will begin projects to increase toll plaza capacity, rejuvenate 19 overpass structures and resurface four miles of the eight-mile road.
In March, express lanes on the Dan Ryan will be closed as construction crews tear them up for reconstruction from 95th to 31st streets.
"In the words of our secretary, Tim Martin, you haven't see nothing yet," Tarczan said. "Our capacity is down, and it's going lower."
The Dan Ryan's capacity will be cut in half by the project.
"It's going to be a mess," Tarczan added.
The Skyway and Dan Ryan handle the bulk of Northwest Indiana commuter traffic going to the Loop and other parts of Chicago.
The South Shore commuter train will not be much help, as it is currently used to 97 percent of capacity, said John Parsons, spokesman for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.
According to Redondo, the Skyway currently carries only one-third of what it is capable of carrying. Current bottlenecks and backups there have to do with the configuration of the toll plaza. The Dan Ryan ramp reconstruction will be another problem.
Toll plaza reconfiguration will open up three additional toll lanes to commuters coming out of Chicago at the evening rush hour.