Indiana State Road 912
Encyclopedia
State Road 912, known along its entire length as Cline Avenue, is a freeway north of the Borman Expressway
(Interstates 80
-94
& U.S. Route 6
), and a local access road serving Griffith
south of the Borman. The portion of Cline Avenue marked as SR 912 is 11.69 miles (18.81 km) long. Indiana 912 can be considered a child route of U.S. Route 12
.
On April 15, 1982, part of a ramp under construction collapsed during concrete pouring operations near the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
, killing twelve highway workers and injuring eighteen more. In 1987, the state designated the route between US 12 and the Indiana Toll Road
as the Highway Construction Workers Memorial Highway.
On December 28, 2009, the Indiana Department of Transportation closed the elevated bridge portion of Cline Avenue between Calumet Avenue and Michigan Avenue, a distance of nearly 3.5 miles (5.6 km). Corrosion had severely weakened most elements of the bridge, including the bridge piers, concrete, beams and cables. The bridge is to be torn down. Similar cases of corrosion have been identified in other bridges across the country.
, and then south, also having an interchange with Toll Road exit 10. This portion also serves several of the steel mills (many now owned by Mittal Steel Company
) and casino
s in East Chicago
and Gary, Indiana
. The north–south portion between approximately US 20 and the Borman Expressway
follows the border between Gary and Hammond, Indiana
.
South of the Borman Expressway
, Cline Avenue becomes a 4-lane divided highway. Indiana 912 extends south 1 mi (2 km) to Ridge Road (Business US 6).
Before the construction of the expressway, portions of Truck Route 912 were on Kennedy Avenue. 5.7 miles (9.2 km) of new expressway from the Toll Road to Chicago Avenue was constructed at a cost of $250 million (1982, $551 million in 2008). Most of the expressway portion followed the path of the former Pennsylvania Railroad
main line from Chicago to Pittsburgh via Fort Wayne, rationalized by Conrail onto the parallel former New York Central main line.
Surviving construction workers brought in a cherry picker
to rescue the remaining workers stranded on the ramp, but five minutes after the initial collapse, Unit 5, the neighboring section, also collapsed. Twelve workers in total were killed instantly; a thirteenth died two weeks after the collapse, and the fourteenth worker died of injuries suffered during the collapse two years later. The accident remains Indiana's deadliest industrial or construction accident in its history.
Investigators from the National Bureau of Standards for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) discovered several errors that caused the collapse of the bridge section. The most likely cause of the collapse was "the cracking of a concrete pad supporting a leg of the shoring towers." The failure of the concrete pad, built too thin, led to another finding; 1 inches (2.5 cm) bolts that were supposed to connect key stringers to cross-beams instead were replaced with frictional clips, but investigators did not find any documentation that supported this substitution. Investigators could not locate any engineering calculations supporting the pads as designed; worse, the pads were built substandard to the undocumented design.
Lawsuits against companies involved in building the ramp were settled out of court, as no single party could be found to explain the discrepancies. The bridge finally opened in 1986. In 1987, the overpass on the section between Inland Steel and Riley Road was renamed the "Highway Workers Memorial Highway," in memory of the workers.
, suspected an assailant armed with a slingshot or a BB gun
was shooting out windows. Others suspected the broken windows were due to flying gravel and abnormally warm temperatures. The shootings were not related to an earlier July 25 shooting death of a motorist on Interstate 65
south of Indianapolis
. No arrests were ever made in the case, and the shootings ended around the beginning of the school year.
closed the bridge portion over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
(equivalent to the portions of the road between exits 1 and 5A) to all traffic after consultants released details of an inspection on the bridge, citing safety concerns equivalent to the August 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis
.
On December 28, 2009 INDOT announced that the bridge will remain permanently closed and ultimately demolished at a future date to be determined. There are no immediate plans to build a new bridge in its place, as INDOT claims the $90 million expense for a new bridge for 30,000 vehicles per day is not justifiable. Instead, INDOT is focusing on upgrading the roadways being used as a detour around the bridge to handle the added traffic. On April 15, 2010, INDOT announced its plan to demolish the bridge and reroute traffic via Riley and Dickey Roads.
On November 2, 2010 INDOT reopen the westbound lanes of Cline Ave. from Riley Road to the Indiana Toll Road reopen to traffic, as INDOT is awaiting results of an environmental impact study to determine if the eastbound lanes should be reopened. While the ramp from westbound Riley Road to Cline Ave. has reopened crews are demolishing the eastbound ramp from Cline Ave to Riley Road as it was found to be structurally unsound.
.
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80 , I-94, and U.S. Highway 6 , as well as a short section of US 41...
(Interstates 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
-94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
& U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
), and a local access road serving Griffith
Griffith, Indiana
Griffith is a town in Calumet and St. John townships, Lake County, Indiana. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,893 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
south of the Borman. The portion of Cline Avenue marked as SR 912 is 11.69 miles (18.81 km) long. Indiana 912 can be considered a child route of U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
.
On April 15, 1982, part of a ramp under construction collapsed during concrete pouring operations near the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is an artificial waterway on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, in East Chicago, Indiana which connects the Grand Calumet River to Lake Michigan. It consists of two branch canals, the 1.25 mile Lake George Branch and the 2 mile long Grand Calumet River Branch...
, killing twelve highway workers and injuring eighteen more. In 1987, the state designated the route between US 12 and the Indiana Toll Road
Indiana Toll Road
The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line...
as the Highway Construction Workers Memorial Highway.
On December 28, 2009, the Indiana Department of Transportation closed the elevated bridge portion of Cline Avenue between Calumet Avenue and Michigan Avenue, a distance of nearly 3.5 miles (5.6 km). Corrosion had severely weakened most elements of the bridge, including the bridge piers, concrete, beams and cables. The bridge is to be torn down. Similar cases of corrosion have been identified in other bridges across the country.
Route description
The freeway runs east from exit 3 of the Indiana Toll Road past the Gary/Chicago International AirportGary/Chicago International Airport
Gary/Chicago International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Gary, a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The airport, which serves the Chicago metropolitan area, is 25 miles southeast of the Chicago Loop...
, and then south, also having an interchange with Toll Road exit 10. This portion also serves several of the steel mills (many now owned by Mittal Steel Company
Mittal Steel Company
Mittal Steel Company N.V. was one of the world's largest steel producers by volume, and also one of the largests in turnover. The company is now part of ArcelorMittal....
) and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s in East Chicago
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
and Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. The north–south portion between approximately US 20 and the Borman Expressway
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80 , I-94, and U.S. Highway 6 , as well as a short section of US 41...
follows the border between Gary and Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
.
South of the Borman Expressway
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80 , I-94, and U.S. Highway 6 , as well as a short section of US 41...
, Cline Avenue becomes a 4-lane divided highway. Indiana 912 extends south 1 mi (2 km) to Ridge Road (Business US 6).
History
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
main line from Chicago to Pittsburgh via Fort Wayne, rationalized by Conrail onto the parallel former New York Central main line.
Ramp collapse
On April 15, 1982, fourteen workers were killed and eighteen injured when falsework beneath a ramp failed during a concrete pour. At 10:40 am, Unit 4, one of the bridge sections, collapsed, destroying the scaffold stairway and stranding workers on the remaining sections above. Workers on the Unit 4 were crushed to death when the section flipped and landed upside-down while descending due to tension in the cables.Surviving construction workers brought in a cherry picker
Cherry picker
A cherry picker , is a type of aerial work platform that consists of a platform or bucket at the end of a hydraulic lifting system.- Design :...
to rescue the remaining workers stranded on the ramp, but five minutes after the initial collapse, Unit 5, the neighboring section, also collapsed. Twelve workers in total were killed instantly; a thirteenth died two weeks after the collapse, and the fourteenth worker died of injuries suffered during the collapse two years later. The accident remains Indiana's deadliest industrial or construction accident in its history.
Investigators from the National Bureau of Standards for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
(OSHA) discovered several errors that caused the collapse of the bridge section. The most likely cause of the collapse was "the cracking of a concrete pad supporting a leg of the shoring towers." The failure of the concrete pad, built too thin, led to another finding; 1 inches (2.5 cm) bolts that were supposed to connect key stringers to cross-beams instead were replaced with frictional clips, but investigators did not find any documentation that supported this substitution. Investigators could not locate any engineering calculations supporting the pads as designed; worse, the pads were built substandard to the undocumented design.
Lawsuits against companies involved in building the ramp were settled out of court, as no single party could be found to explain the discrepancies. The bridge finally opened in 1986. In 1987, the overpass on the section between Inland Steel and Riley Road was renamed the "Highway Workers Memorial Highway," in memory of the workers.
Sniper investigation
During the summer of 2006, numerous drivers reported possible attacks by a sniper on the eastern portion of Cline Avenue. Drivers reported having their windows and windshields shattered by unknown projectiles. Investigators, including the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, suspected an assailant armed with a slingshot or a BB gun
BB gun
BB guns are a type of air gun designed to shoot projectiles named BBs after the birdshot pellet of approximately the same size. These projectiles are usually spherical but can also be pointed; those are usually used for bird hunting. Modern day BB guns usually have a smoothbore barrel, with a bore...
was shooting out windows. Others suspected the broken windows were due to flying gravel and abnormally warm temperatures. The shootings were not related to an earlier July 25 shooting death of a motorist on Interstate 65
Interstate 65 in Indiana
In the U.S. state of Indiana, Interstate 65 traverses the state from south to north. The Indiana portion begins near Louisville, Kentucky and travels north, passing through Columbus, Indianapolis, Lafayette. Interstate 65 terminates near Gary on the Indiana Toll Road. Interstate 65 covers 261.27...
south of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. No arrests were ever made in the case, and the shootings ended around the beginning of the school year.
Bridge closure & Partial Reopen
On November 13, 2009, the Indiana Department of TransportationIndiana Department of Transportation
The Indiana Department of Transportation is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining and regulating transportation and transportation related infrastructure such as state owned airports, state highways and state owned canals or railroads.-Districts:INDOT is...
closed the bridge portion over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is an artificial waterway on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, in East Chicago, Indiana which connects the Grand Calumet River to Lake Michigan. It consists of two branch canals, the 1.25 mile Lake George Branch and the 2 mile long Grand Calumet River Branch...
(equivalent to the portions of the road between exits 1 and 5A) to all traffic after consultants released details of an inspection on the bridge, citing safety concerns equivalent to the August 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
On December 28, 2009 INDOT announced that the bridge will remain permanently closed and ultimately demolished at a future date to be determined. There are no immediate plans to build a new bridge in its place, as INDOT claims the $90 million expense for a new bridge for 30,000 vehicles per day is not justifiable. Instead, INDOT is focusing on upgrading the roadways being used as a detour around the bridge to handle the added traffic. On April 15, 2010, INDOT announced its plan to demolish the bridge and reroute traffic via Riley and Dickey Roads.
On November 2, 2010 INDOT reopen the westbound lanes of Cline Ave. from Riley Road to the Indiana Toll Road reopen to traffic, as INDOT is awaiting results of an environmental impact study to determine if the eastbound lanes should be reopened. While the ramp from westbound Riley Road to Cline Ave. has reopened crews are demolishing the eastbound ramp from Cline Ave to Riley Road as it was found to be structurally unsound.
Exit list
The entire route is in Lake CountyLake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2010, its population was 496,005, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area. The county contains a mix of urban,...
.
| Location | Mile | # Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore.... |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond Hammond, Indiana Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at .... |
0.00 | – Chicago Skyway Chicago Skyway The Chicago Skyway, also known as Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge System, is a toll road in Chicago, Illinois, United States, carrying Interstate 90 from the Indiana Toll Road to the Dan Ryan Expressway on Chicago's South Side leading into the Chicago Loop.... |
Northern/Western end of freeway | |
| 0.81 | 1 | Temporary Eastbound End 11-13-2009, Westbound Reopen 11-2-2010 | ||
| East Chicago East Chicago, Indiana East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at .... |
2.75 | 3 | Riley Road to | Closed 11-13-2009 Eastbound, Westbound Entrance Reopen 11-2-2010. |
| 4.33 | 5A | Michigan Avenue | Closed west of this exit 11-13-2009 | |
| 4.48 | 5B | Inland Steel Plant 2, E.B. Jeorse Park, Pastrick Marina | Exit to Resorts East Chicago Casino. | |
| 4.86 | 5C | Jeorse Park, Pastrick Marina | Westbound exit only. Exit to Resorts East Chicago Casino. | |
| Gary Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known... |
5.26 | 6A | Southbound exit, northbound entrance | |
| 5.62 | 6B | Industrial Highway | Southbound exit, northbound entrance. Formerly eastbound U.S. 12. | |
| 5.94 | 6 | Northbound exit, southbound entrance. Northbound access to SR 312. | ||
| 7.14 | 7 | Gary Avenue to – Chicago, Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
||
| Hammond and Gary Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known... |
8.10 | 8 | ||
| 9.16 | 9 | 169th Street, 15th Avenue | ||
| 10.41 | 10 | – Chicago, Detroit Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River... |
Southern/Eastern end of freeway | |
| Highland Highland, Lake County, Indiana Highland is a town in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 23,727 at the 2010 census. The town was incorporated on April 4, 1910... & Griffith Griffith, Indiana Griffith is a town in Calumet and St. John townships, Lake County, Indiana. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,893 at the 2010 census.-Geography:... |
11.69 | No Trucks over 8 tons allow Westbound |