Federal grant to aid Borman traffic management project

The 2-year-old 80/94 FlexRoad project is receiving a $127 million funding infusion from the federal government, U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan announced Saturday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a National Infrastructure Project Assistance grant to the Indiana Department of Transportation for the project, which seeks to improve traffic conditions and safety on a 12-mile stretch of Interstate 80/94 from its interchange with Interstate 65 in Gary to Illinois 394.

“The utilization of the Borman Expressway is a fact of life for countless residents of Northwest Indiana, commuters, and commerce,” Mrvan, D-Highland, said in announcing the grant. “I am thrilled that this federal investment will complement the serious dedication of Gov. (Eric) Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Transportation to alleviate congestion, enhance our commercial corridor and improve the safety and travel conditions on the Borman Expressway.”

Information on the INDOT-led project is available at indianaflexroad.com.

“The Flex Road Project will improve travel time, increase reliability, enhance safety, and reduce carbon emissions on a 12-mile critical commerce corridor," Holcomb said. "We are pleased to join our federal partners in celebrating this significant USDOT grant to Indiana, the Crossroads of America.”

An initial study of common strategies to manage traffic operations was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 2022. The FlexRoad timeline calls for federally mandated environmental studies to be done in 2024, with final design work completed in 2026 and construction activity to begin late that year.

The initial study included four alternatives published in a Planning and Environmental Linkages report. The options are:

• 1. Dynamic shoulder lanes, which use shoulders as traffic lanes to alleviate congestion during peak periods on weekdays and potentially heavy traffic times on Sundays. They also could be used in response to accidents or other incidents in nonpeak periods. Electronic overhead signs would indicate when shoulders are open to traffic. The inside shoulder would have a 45 mph limit.

Event management strategies are intended to reduce congestion by improving operational and maintenance practices, "including by incentivizing tow companies to remove disabled vehicles quickly and safely or increasing Hoosier Helper staff."

Improved signage "increases driver knowledge and awareness of current traffic conditions, helping to reduce crashes and inform motorists."

Interchange improvements at Broadway/I-65 would reduce backups and increase capacity for drivers exiting to Broadway or I-65 southbound.

• 2. In addition to the option 1 strategies, the second option adds:

Ramp metering, which would employ traffic signals on entrance ramps to regulate the entry of vehicles to the highway. “Vehicles traveling from an adjacent arterial roadway would access the on-ramp and stop at the ramp meter traffic signal and then be individually released onto the freeway mainline,” the Planning and Environmental Linkages study says. Use of adaptive ramp metering would control the traffic lights according to actual traffic or an adaptive algorithm, as opposed to a fixed rate. The report recommends ramp meters at Calumet Avenue, Indianapolis Boulevard, Kennedy Avenue, Cline Avenue, Burr Street, Grant Street and Broadway.

• 3. The third alternative removes ramp metering, but adds three more:

Variable speed limits, which "would adjust speed limits based on real-time traffic, roadway incidents, events, work zones, and/or weather conditions,” the study says. The speed limits can be enforceable or advisory. The goal is to reduce speeds in or before areas of congestion in an effort to smooth traffic flow and reduce the risk of collisions. The speed limits would be announced on overhead gantry signs.

Dynamic lane control, involving closing or opening individual traffic lanes “to support needed maintenance and incident management.” Lane closures and openings would be announced by overhead gantry lane-control signals in an effort to promote safety.

Queue warning signs to alert motorists that queues or significant slowdowns have developed ahead, “thus improving traffic safety by reducing the potential for rear-end crashes or other secondary incidents.”

• 4. The fourth alternative uses all eight strategies.

According to the state, the federal funding will provide over half of the anticipated $212.5 million cost of the project.

“The Borman accommodates an average of more than 200,000 vehicles per day, making it the busiest interstate corridor in Indiana,” said INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith. “Existing traffic volumes are forecast to increase nearly 20% by 2040, exacerbating already high levels of congestion and traffic incidents. FlexRoad allows INDOT to optimize traffic flow and improve safety while minimizing impacts to nearby communities.”