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EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a press release from the Indiana Department of Transportation which arrived Monday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS – After careful review by both Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) engineers and structural engineers for URS, Corporation, one of the country’s top bridge design and construction firms, INDOT Commissioner Michael W. Reed announced today that the Cline Avenue bridge will remain closed permanently. 

 “Everyone at INDOT understands the impact of this decision on residents, commuters and tourists,” states Reed.  “However, the structural integrity of the bridge is in such a diminished state that any combination of repair or re-construction required to meet minimum safety requirements would cost in the tens of millions of dollars and offer a lifespan that would be a fraction of that justified by the investment.” 

 After a discussion with the Governor and his staff, INDOT executives have briefed local officials and the major employers on this decision.  There are two immediate actions INDOT will take.  First, work will be accelerated in concert with local officials to ensure that every step is being taken to minimize disruption to the motoring public.  This includes ongoing traffic monitoring, the initiation of a Traffic Impact Study to recommend prioritized lists of short and long-term improvements to local streets, and near-term action to enhance the following streets and intersections:

·        Dickey Road at the railroad crossing, Riley Road and 129^th Street;

·        129^th Street at Indianapolis Boulevard;

·        Michigan Avenue at Dickey Road and U.S. 12/Columbus Drive

·        Cline Avenue ramps connecting with ArcelorMittal Steel.

 INDOT, in collaboration with local officials and planners, will move with dispatch on projects currently planned or ones to be identified that will address issues related to the bridge closing.  This cooperation is critical given that many alternative routes are not INDOT maintained roadways.

 Second, INDOT will move quickly to identify the best options for replacing the bridge.  There are a number of stakeholders who count on access from all directions for their businesses, ranging from Arcelor-Mittal Steel and BP to the casinos. 

 “We will work closely with the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), local officials and businesses to obtain the best thinking as to what might be the right course of action,” added Reed.  “Our aim is to have the options identified no later than the end of February.” 

 The current detour and ramp accesses will remain in place until a decision has been made on the action plan moving forward.  Westbound Cline Ave. traffic is directed to take U.S. 12 (Columbus Drive) west to U.S. 12/20 (Indianapolis Boulevard) west to Calumet Ave. south.  Eastbound traffic will be directed to take Calumet Ave. north to Indianapolis Blvd. east to Columbus Dr. east back to Cline Ave.

 Reed expressed INDOTs top priority is the safety of the motoring public, and this priority necessitates the closure of the bridge.  “As we move forward in identifying what comes next, I want to thank everyone in local government and the local business community who has stepped-up so responsibly since the bridge’s initial closing on November 13.”

 As part of a six-year, three-phase inspection contract that is currently underway, INDOT’s consultant is inspecting nine post-tensioned concrete box girder bridges located around the state.  The work involves visual inspections of the interior and exterior surfaces of the web walls as well as the top and bottom slabs.  It also includes collecting bridge deck cores to check for chloride penetration, testing the grout, and inspecting for corrosion in some of the box girders.  The second phase of the inspection work on the bridges is expected to continue through the end of March 2010 as weather allows.

 These bridges are located throughout the state and include:

·        2 bridges on State Road 26 over the Wabash River between Lafayette and West Lafayette

·        The bridge on State Road 47 that runs through Turkey Runs State Park

·        The bridge on US 136 at the west edge of Covington

·        Bridge on US 50 east of North Vernon

·        Two bridge ramps on I-70 over I-70 and over I-465 and E. 21^st Street

·        The eastbound and westbound SR 912 ramps over I-80/94

 Reed added that because of the unique construction of these bridges with the post-tensioned concrete box girders, a separate contract was created as additional training and expertise was needed to correctly inspect these structures.  “These inspections have been ongoing, prior to the closure of the Cline Ave. bridge.  All bridges in Indiana are inspected at least once every two years where each component of the bridge is evaluated including the deck or pavement portion, the supporting beams and the structure beneath.  INDOT would never allow the public to drive on a bridge considered to be unsafe.”