LOCAL

South Shore seeks $400 million for expansion

Andrew Steele Times of Northwest Indiana
South Bend Tribune

Two projects that would extend and modernize Northwest Indiana's commuter rail service converged this year, with the South Shore Line setting the goal of sending them to the federal government next summer for its approval — and for more than $400 million in funding.

The federal money would cover half the construction costs of the South Shore's $615 million West Lake Corridor project, which would extend the railroad south from Hammond to Dyer, and half the cost of Double Track NWI, which would add a second track between Gary and Michigan City. That project had a preliminary cost estimate of $250 million to $270 million as engineers began refining the project this fall.

Proponents say the projects will integrate Northwest Indiana's workforce more deeply into the Chicago economy, create jobs and grow wealth, and help accomplish a much-needed diversification of the Region's employment opportunities.

"We know that when we make this investment, ridership will follow," South Shore President Michael Noland said at a recent presentation on the projects.

'In the pipeline'

West Lake's 9-mile stretch will include four new stations: a "gateway" station in Hammond, where West Lake will connect to the existing line; a station in south Hammond near 173rd Street with a nearby maintenance yard; a station at Ridge Road in Munster, and another on Main Street at the Munster-Dyer municipal border.

The South Shore's operator, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, hopes to begin service on the new line in 2022.

"We're in the pipeline and on a glide slope to get to a construction start in 2020," Noland said.

For that to happen, NICTD needs to complete a final Environmental Impact Statement and submit a request to the Federal Transit Administration for a New Starts matching grant late next summer.

At the same time, NICTD will apply for a federal Core Capacity matching grant for Double Track NWI, which would add a second set of tracks to the South Shore from Gary to Michigan City.

That project has moved quickly in tandem with West Lake, because it essentially follows the railroad's existing path, and only requires an Environmental Assessment that is less detailed than an Environmental Impact Statement.

The Northwest Indiana RDA and the South Bend-based North Central Indiana Regional Development Authority are funding $4 million in engineering work to firm up plans for Double Track NWI.

The project would speed commuting times to Chicago, increase train frequency and improve safety, railroad officials say. It would require laying more than 16 miles of track and improving five stations.

The project's biggest impacts would be in the Miller neighborhood in Gary and in Michigan City. In Miller, U.S. 12's junction with U.S. 20 would be moved east of Lake Street, and the train tracks would take the path of the abandoned roadway.

In Michigan City, the rails would be moved out of the street, and 19 of 33 grade crossings would be closed. Tracks have been running down 10th Street for the life of the railroad.

"It's neat, it's historical, it's interesting, but it's no way to run a modern railroad," Noland said.

'Hundred year investments'

Proponents argue the projects will have a transformational impact on Northwest Indiana, increasing population and income, prompting property development and raising tax revenue. And planning for so-called Transit Oriented Development in Hammond, Munster and Dyer has taken on more urgency as work on the projects progresses.

Architectural and planning firm Farr Associates has been working with local officials and residents to bring conceptual focus to the type of development the communities would like to see, and the consulting firm KPMG also is working on TOD planning.

The firms were hired by the Regional Development Authority, which is participating in the financing of West Lake as well as planning for development. The RDA's new Comprehensive Strategic Plan includes detailed economic projections and suggests an extensive opportunity for growth.

"I think we have a project here that can truly transform the industrial north as well as provide connectivity to the south," RDA President and CEO Bill Hanna said when the agency's board of directors approved the plan earlier this year.

"From my perspective, these are generational-type projects. These are hundred-year investments in our community," Noland said.

The South Shore Line plans on requesting $400 million in federal funding next summer for improvement projects.SBT File Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES