Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Porter County bridge project to close East Porter Avenue Wednesday

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By KEVIN NEVERS

Driving as we know it in Downtown Chesterton will change utterly on Wednesday, with the total closure--until probably sometime in October--of East Porter Ave. between South Calumet Road and Wilson Street.

That closure is necessitated by the scheduled replacement of the bridge over Coffee Creek, just west of Chesterton Cemetery.

Most folks, apparently, have gotten the message that East Porter Ave. will no longer serve as a straight-shot entry into or exit out of town. And most of those folks, apparently, understand that it’s the bridge project which is causing the inconvenience.

What few people seem to realize, however, is that it’s not the Town of Chesterton replacing the bridge.

It’s the Porter County Highway Department.

At the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, Member Emerson DeLaney, R-5th, tried once again to set the record straight. “This is a county project,” he said. “I’m still getting a lot of questions. ‘Why are you allowing this to be done?’ We’re not allowing it. We don’t have a choice. Our hands are tied.”

Member Jim Ton, R-1st, concurred with DeLaney, although he added that the Porter County Highway Department is simply doing what must be done. “We do need a new bridge,” Ton said. “It’s in need of replacement. We have to bite the bullet. But the medicine is pretty strong.”

Motorists and residents of Morgan Park should know these things:

* The posted detour for traffic westbound on East Porter Ave. is right (north) on Wilson Street, then left (west) on East Morgan Ave. to South Calumet Road.

* The posted detour for traffic eastbound on West Porter Ave. is left (north) on South Calumet Road, right (east) on East Morgan Ave., then right (south) on Wilson Street to East Porter Ave.

* Also beginning on Wednesday, per the Police Commission, all parking on Wilson Street between East Porter Ave. and East Morgan Ave. will be prohibited, on both sides of the street, for the duration of the project.

* The intersection of Wilson Street and East Morgan Ave. is currently a two-way stop. Motorists north- and southbound on Wilson Street have a stop sign at the intersection of East Morgan Ave. Motorists east- and westbound on East Morgan Ave. do not have a stop sign at the intersection of Wilson Street.

* Although heavy truck traffic is banned by Town Code in Morgan Park, residents should expect to see the occasional semi along the Wilson Street/East Morgan Ave. detour route. As long as that route is the officially posted detour, truckers may use it.

 

 

Posted 3/24/2015

 
 

 

 

 

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