Hammond approves joint-use maintenance agreement with INDOT for Michigan/Kennedy bridge widening

The Hammond City Board of Public Works on May 8 recommended approval of a joint-use and maintenance agreement with the Indiana Department of Transportation to widen the Michigan Avenue bridge over Kennedy Avenue and add a bike path on the north side as part of the Marquette Greenway.

City staff told the board the project will require a 20% local match and that the city of Hammond will share its local match portion with the city of East Chicago because part of the bridge lies in East Chicago. A staff member said INDOT will cover 80% of the project cost. Board members discussed prior legal review and edits to sections of the agreement that raised concerns about post-construction maintenance and liability.

The board’s action was presented after the city and INDOT exchanged language in sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the draft agreement; staff said INDOT legal has returned an updated version that addresses earlier concerns. A board member recommended approval “as presented” and another member concurred. The recommendation directs staff to finalize the agreement and proceed with the joint maintenance arrangement.

The board did not adopt an ordinance or resolution at the meeting; the recorded action was the board’s recommendation to approve the agreement, subject to the document presented to the board.

The agreement will bind the parties to joint-use and maintenance responsibilities for the widened bridge and the new multiuse path. The board noted the city lacks capacity to independently repair major bridge damage and that language was clarified to reflect responsibilities between the parties.