Cline Avenue ramp imploded as demolition begins

EAST , Ind. — State contractors have imploded a 900-foot ramp as part of efforts to demolish a northwestern Indiana bridge closed more than a year ago amid safety concerns.

The implosion of part of Cline Avenue in East Chicago on Saturday cost the state $6 million, but Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Jim Pinkerton says that was $1 million less expensive than taking it apart piece by piece.

Pinkerton tells The Times of Munster the agency withheld plans for the demolition from the public to maintain safety around the project. INDOT closed the key pathway to lakefront casinos and steel mills in December 2009 after an inspection showed it had become dangerously weak.

Pinkerton says more demolition work is planned in the coming weeks but plans will not be publicize in advance.