In light of the closure of a 4-mile stretch of Cline Avenue between Calumet Avenue in Hammond and Michigan Avenue in East Chicago, the Indiana Department of Transportation has reached a “route transfer agreement” with East Chicago, which will give up sections of Riley and Dickey Roads.
The agreement is effective October 1, and will allow the transportation agency to reroute Cline Avenue (State Road 912) through the city.
From INDOT’s news release:
In mid-April, INDOT announced a multi-project traffic solution designed to address the displaced traffic due to the closure of the Cline Ave. bridge. One key element in the design solution is transferring sections of Riley and Dickey Roads in the City of East Chicago. This transfer will allow INDOT to construct a new ramp from Cline Avenue to Dickey Road to begin, in addition to improvements along these roads.
The Cline Avenue bridge opened to traffic in 1983.
In 1999, INDOT noted structural deficiencies that required closer monitoring with increased inspections and programming a bridge rehabilitation project. In 2006, INDOT hired a consultant to conduct detailed inspections every six months.
In November 2009, INDOT began a temporary closure of the bridge to all traffic while a more detailed review was conducted to determine the overall safety of the bridge. On December 28, INDOT announced that Cline Ave. between Michigan and Calumet would not reopen to traffic due to the diminished state of the structural integrity of the bridge.
The agreement between INDOT and East Chicago calls for Riley road from the Cline Avenue interchange to the Dickey Road intersection to be transferred to the state. INDOT also will take control of Dickey Road from the Riley Road intersection to just northwest of Michigan Avenue. The section includes a drawbridge on Dickey road.
The transfer total is 1.39 centerline miles.
The $2.2 million project to reconstruct the Riley Road ramp to Cline Avenue was awarded to Walsh Construction. It is expected to be completed this fal.
The first project as part of the “Cline Avenue traffic solution” — resurfacing the Michigan Avenue ramp to Cline Avenue in East Chicago near ArcelorMittal Steel — began earlier this summer.