Replacement for major NW Indiana bridge set to open in 2019

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) - The replacement for a major northwestern Indiana bridge is expected to open in 2019, a decade after its predecessor was closed amid safety concerns.

Figg Bridge Group CEO Linda Figg says the new Cline Avenue Bridge will have two traffic lanes when the toll bridge opens, but it will expand to four lanes if and when traffic warrants it.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports (http://bit.ly/2sEuuOt ) the 6,000-foot span will rise 100 feet above the Indiana Harbor & Ship Canal following the path of the original bridge. That span was closed for safety reasons and condemned in 2009.

Figg says the new bridge will cost an estimated $140 million.

She says tolls for cars would be set in the $2.25 to $2.50 range. Truck tolls haven't been determined.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com