Cline Avenue Improvements
Anticipate New Bridge Opening

The company building the new Cline Avenue bridge is resurfacing the approaches to the East Chicago bridge in preparation for opening the new span next year. Cline Avenue Bridge LLC said it will spend $3 million on improvements to state-owned Indiana 912, also known as Cline Avenue.

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The work now covers about 2 ½ miles of Indiana Department of Transportation roadway on Cline Avenue. On the new bridge’s west side, it goes from just east of Calumet Avenue in Hammond to the bridge. On the east side, the work will reconnect to the Ameristar casino, Joerse Park and the East Chicago marina, and will include the new Indiana 912 roadway in East Chicago.

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“These improvements will enhance drivers’ experiences and ensure greater safety for the commuting public,” Cline Avenue Bridge LLC said in a press release.

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Laura Weber, a bridge company representative, noted the approaches hadn’t been used for more than 10 years and needed upkeep. The work is expected to be completed by the end of November.

The new two-lane Cline Avenue toll bridge is expected to open next year and is expected to carry about 10,000 vehicles a day. The former four-lane free bridge, which the state highway department shut down after finding structural flaws and then demolished 10 years ago, carried about 35,000 vehicles a day.

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The bridge will not have toll booths. The tolls will be collected by scanning E-ZPass or I-PASS transponders or by reading vehicle plates. The tolls with E-ZPass or other transponders will be $2.25 for two-axle vehicles and $4.94 for three- or more axle vehicles. The “pay-by-plate” tolls will be $4.85 and $7.72, respectively. Cline Avenue Bridge LLC is owned by United Bridge Partners, a private infrastructure company that finances, designs, builds and runs private toll bridges.

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Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
View the original article at the Chicago Tribune.