BY KATHLEEN QUILLIGAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
Kathleen.Quilligan@nwitimes.com
CROWN POINT | Mayor David Uran said he hopes the new 109th interchange off of Interstate 65 will be finished during the first quarter of 2010.
"It will open the door for economic growth," Uran said. "We're already preparing for that."
The project has been in the works since 2002 but got on the fast track with the help of $10 million in federal grants that U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., earmarked. Crown Point also helped move up the Major Moves project's completion date by paying some of the project's expenses, which the Indiana Department of Transportation will reimburse.
The Federal Highway Administration will pay 80 percent of the project, with INDOT covering the remaining 20 percent.
INDOT spokesman Joshua Bingham said although officials originally estimated construction would begin in August, they had to push back the project because the city hadn't finished with the right-of-way acquisition.
The city needed to obtain 12 parcels of land for the project, city documents show, and Uran said seven of those parcels will have to go through the condemnation process. A court date has been set for Jan. 8.
City Engineer Jeff Ban said the interchange's design is complete and at INDOT offices for final review. He said he expects to receive bids for construction in May, with construction actually beginning in July. He said the project's construction cost is about $17 million.
Uran said the city is already preparing for the interchange by improving North Street with brickscapes, decorative lights and greenspace. Uran said the street will mimic 93rd Avenue.
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