East Chicago, Ind., August 9, 2019 – Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC, the private company rebuilding East Chicago’s Cline Avenue Bridge, announces that it has erected the first 100 segments that will comprise the bridge’s superstructure, which is the portion that sits atop the columns and includes the driving surface. It will take 685 segments to form the completed bridge, and this milestone marks that progress is well on its way.
Weighing between 60 and 90 tons, each single-cell box girder segment is made of high-strength concrete and engineered for its exact location within the structure. Its geometry offers strength
without added weight and will allow maintenance and inspection personnel to access to the bridge from the inside without causing traffic disruptions. The first 100 segments have been erected at the west abutment, and are visible by taking the Riley Road entrance to Cline Avenue from ramp B.
“Once the support columns were built, most of the fabrication was happening behind the scenes. We’re excited that the community is now able to see the project’s advancement and can visualize the importance of the Cline Avenue Bridge as ‘The Gateway of Lake County,’” said Terry Velligan, General Manager of Operations at Cline Avenue Bridge.
The public can also see the Cline Avenue Bridge taking shape during Sidewalk Talks, a series of free, monthly events that allow individuals to go behind the scenes of the project. The next Sidewalk Talks will be held Saturday, August 17, 2019 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Cline Avenue Bridge headquarters at 219 Riley Road in East Chicago, Ind. Registration is not required; for more information, visit clineave.com/event-calendar or call 219.276.8902.
Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC is owned by United Bridge Partners (UBP), a private infrastructure company that finances, designs, builds, owns, and operates private toll bridges across the United States, meeting PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release the needs of under-funded state and municipal governments to replace failing bridge infrastructure. UBP is funded by a $1 billion capital commitment from the New American Bridges Fund, an affiliate of American Infrastructure Funds, and uses no local, state, or federal financing to accomplish private bridge projects. The Cine Avenue Bridge will reconnect SR 912 to the Chicago Skyway and serve as “The Gateway of Lake County” while providing the most direct route into Lake County and the most timesaving route to Chicago. For more information, visit clineave.com.