The Porter Redevelopment Commission took significant action Tuesday regarding plans for both of its long-delayed hike/bike trails.

Faced with an unfunded $780,000 jump in the cost to install a tunnel under U.S. 20 for the Brickyard Trail, the commission voted 4-0 to investigate scrapping the tunnel and instead using a three-section,17 foot-tall bridge to span the highway’s four lanes.

Last month the commission paid $42,000 to purchase land for the trail crossing near U.S. 20 and Howe Road. The 2.86-mile Brickyard Trail extends from downtown Porter to the Calumet Trail north of U.S. 12.

The commission also decided by consensus not to change the route of the planned Orchard Pedestrian Way trail along Waverly Road, which met stiff opposition May 17 from residents along the route in Hunter’s Glen subdivision and from owners of Pat’s Liquors at U.S. 20 and Waverly, adjacent to whose parking lot the trail will go.

Town director of engineering Matt Keiser said it would cost $23,000 for project engineer Haas & Associates to re-engineer an alternate pedway route, possibly along Oak Hill Road. “There’s some unknowns there that could add significant costs,” according to Keiser.

Another concern is that the Indiana Department of Transportation, which is administering grants for the approximately $1.9 million trail, and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission through which the money is channeled both want updated timelines for pedway construction.

Keiser said if the commission doesn’t move in that direction, INDOT could halt the project, which originally was slated for construction two years ago. A pedway bridge over the Little Calumet River was built earlier this year and the commission last night approved up to $600 for stone to make the north approach safer for use.

The 1.5-mile pedway would extend generally along Waverly from League Lane on Woodlawn Avenue to north of U.S. 20 at Splash Down Dunes water park.

Commission member Bruce Snyder asked if there would be any legal hurdles to proceeding with the Waverly route as planned. Keiser said there shouldn’t be since the town responded through INDOT to the residents’ public hearing comments and the agency approved the town’s response.

Keiser said he did meet this month with affected pedway property owners.

If another pedway route is chosen, another public hearing may be required. In contrast, switching from a tunnel to a bridge for the Brickyard Trail might not require another hearing, Keiser said.

After nine years on the drawing board, the town was close to Brickyard groundbreaking next spring until INDOT recently decided U.S. 20 can’t be closed for tunnel construction and a $780,000 bypass lane had to be built. Tuesday, Keiser said unless the town wants to pay for it, he has found no definite, quickly available funds or grants to cover that additional cost.

A U.S. 20 bridge initially was estimated to cost $750,000 and a tunnel $610,000 prior to the $780,000 addition. Switching to a bridge could bring the Brickyard’s pricetag below $2 million.

A worst-case scenario, said Keiser, would be to remove any crossing at U.S. 20 altogether until the details can be worked out and build just the trail north and south of the highway, however, “We would have a very unsafe crossing.”

It’s Porter’s decision whether to have a bridge or tunnel as long as either meets INDOT standards. Although switching to a bridge over U.S. 12 will be studied as well, Keiser felt a tunnel there still would be feasible since no runaround lane is required to be built.

Commission member Trevin Fowler said the U.S. 20 bridge could be a distinctive, hallmark gateway for Porter. President Micheal Genger questioned how much flexibility INDOT would allow Porter to have over the bridge design.

Member Jon Granat asked if a new public hearing would be required for a bridge. Keiser said it’s considered a safe grade-separation like the tunnel, but unlike it won’t require extensive storm drainage and lighting. In fact, “I think people prefer the bridge (for safety) because a tunnel would be out of sight.”

Keiser estimated INDOT would allow U.S. 20 to be closed for about two hours to install the bridge sections, similar to but an extended version of the pedestrian bridge over Indiana 149 north of County Road 1050N for the Prairie Duneland Trail.

In other business, with member Al Raffin absent the commission approved a $48,350 payment to the Duneland Group, project engineers for the Brickyard Trail. Keiser said all money paid for engineering goes toward the town’s required local match for previously awarded trail grants.

The commission also agreed to have a closed executive session next month to discuss possible land acquisition for a proposed town hall parking lot south of it.

Up to $1,000 was approved for the Duneland Group to provide concept parking configurations for the lot, which could be a joint public/private partnership with the adjacent landowner.

Posted 7/29/2009