East Chicago, Ind., December 23, 2021 – Cline Avenue Bridge, LLC, owned and operated by United Bridge Partners, celebrates one year of serving the community by providing the most direct route between Northwest Indiana and Chicago. One year ago today, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland stood atop the bridge on an especially windy day and cut the ceremonial ribbon, with Sen. Lonnie Randolph declaring the Cline Avenue Bridge “the bridge of prosperity.”
In its first year since opening, the Cline Avenue Bridge has supported prosperity by making the surrounding area more accessible to businesses, residents, and potential residents while reestablishing transport connectivity, spurring economic growth, and alleviating congestion. Additionally, Cline Avenue Bridge provides ten cents from every collected toll to the City of East Chicago, contributing an added source of funding to help the city advance its initiatives.
Cline Avenue Bridge is also celebrating another milestone; in early December, it served its one millionth vehicle. This milestone is testament to the demand for a reliable route between Northwest Indiana and Chicago and reinforces that travelers value time and convenience.
“We are excited to celebrate the milestone of serving over one million customers,” said Terry Velligan, general manager of operations at Cline Avenue Bridge. “When we first opened one year ago after an 11-year absence, our goal was to reconnect Lake County with the rest of the state and serve as the Gateway of Lake County once again. The fact that the Cline Avenue Bridge is used as a primary route into and out of Northwest Indiana for many commuters, commercial drivers, and the trucking industry is evidence that we have started achieving our goal. One million trips across the Cline Avenue Bridge tells us we are meeting a real need in the Region. We want to thank all our customers and reinforce that we have a continued commitment to be of great service to Lake County.”
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 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 Cline Avenue Bridge reconnects SR 912 to Interstate 90 and serves 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.