Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. and the City of Hammond have decided to suspend further work on the design of the proposed Grand Avenue Pedestrian Bridge project. “Not using city dollars for the pedestrian bridge was the only way to get this built. Without 100% funding we cannot continue with this project,” stated Mayor McDermott.
Originally, the City of Hammond believed that Norfolk Southern would fund the project 100%. “In 2023, I received a call from then CEO of Norfolk Southern, Alan Shaw, offering his total and complete financial support for a new pedestrian bridge.” Thereafter, Norfolk Southern agreed to fund the design of the project, which the city agreed to as a first step towards the project.
The city was then encouraged to apply for grant funding through the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) program that identifies rail crossings needing safety improvements. Hammond submitted and received a $7.7M grant through the RCE program. The local funding match required by the grant agreement is approximately $2.6M, of which NS has declined to participate.
“Norfolk Southern is not willing to pay for the local match and that’s their prerogative. The City of Hammond, however, has different pressing priorities and does not believe spending nearly $3M of city dollars on this project is in the best interest of the city,” said the mayor.
Following a 2023 ProPublica article, representatives from NS, Indiana Harbor Belt, Hammond, the Federal Railroad Administration and the School City of Hammond met to discuss problems with the railroad’s protocol of stopping trains in Hessville. Eventually NSRR enacted a Bulletin keeping stopped trains out of Hessville unless there was an operational problem or mechanical defect that prevented trains from continuing into Chicago. Additionally, if trains were to be stopped for more than 40 minutes, the railroad promised to de-couple trains at Grand to allow pedestrians and motor vehicles to move freely at Grand Avenue. “For now. we have to hope that the railroad complies with the Bulletin or we will once again engage the FRA to put pressure on the railroad to comply with these requirements in an effort to reduce stopped trains,” said City of Hammond Engineer, Dean Button, P.E.
Progress on the design of pedestrian bridge is halted immediately. The scuttling of this project does not impact the construction of the Governor’s Parkway bridge which is fully funded and awaiting construction. “With reduced gaming revenue and the eventual effect of SEA-1 resulting in an expected significant revenue shortfall, we simply don’t have the funds available to pay for the Grand Avenue pedestrian bridge,” said Mayor McDermott. “Governors Parkway remains a viable alternative for crossing the line in Hessville.” Governors Parkway is scheduled to be bid by INDOT in July 2027 with a completion date of Fall 2028.