Whiting receives $5 million DOT grant for lakefront overpass planning

Families eager to hit one of the most popular beaches in the Region Friday morning instead sat in their cars for three hours waiting for a stopped train to move. Some cars stayed baking in the sun, others peeled away and one man on a bicycle rode by and flipped off the train.

This was nothing new for regulars at Whihala Beach in Whiting. However, for the first time, the city may have taken its first step to solve the problem.

Whiting has landed a $5 million grant from the federal Department of Transportation to design an overpass above a major rail crossing between the city and Lakefront Park. The long-awaited project is expected to make passage to and from the shoreline safer and more efficient.

“I received 500 phone calls and emails over the last couple years of how vitally important this project is to the City of Whiting and Northwest Indiana,” said U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, who supported the project.

The infamous crossing has been an issue for decades, with trains across several rails regularly bringing access to park entrances to a standstill.

Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar said the funding will allow the city to perform necessary preparations for construction like structural testing.

“I understand why people might think that’s a lot of money, but it’s a small fraction of what the construction cost will be,” Spebar said. “When the engineering’s completed, that makes the project shovel-ready.”

The project will be an 80-20 split between federal and local funding, according to Mrvan. He said this is the first step of five to provide federal funding throughout the construction process.

The lakefront is a major summer attraction for its park, beach and floating waterpark, but Spebar said people have gotten discouraged about making the trip out of fear of getting stuck behind a train. He said he wants to give locals and tourists “unfettered access.”

“We consider it our jewel,” Spebar said. “To not have it be utilized as fully as it could be is a shame.”

Mary Geiger, who travels to Lakefront Park two or three times every summer from Chicago’s South Side, waited behind the train for hours on Friday in a car full of children.

“The city put so much money into the park for it to be inaccessible,” Geiger said.

Spebar also sees the rail crossing as a public safety issue. He said that in last year, the fire department performed two water rescues in Lake Michigan. If the tracks were blocked, they wouldn’t have gotten there in time.

“The City of Whiting should kiss the ground that there’s been no accidents here,” Carolyn Marsh, a 40-year resident of Whiting, said.

The grant is part of the DOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Program, which put over $1.7 billion into projects across the country. In addition to Whiting, Indiana cities that received funding were Jeffersonville — $25 million to build a 300-ton crane — Noblesville and Fort Wayne.

This is the third time the city has applied for the grant. Spebar thanked local, state and federal politicians for sending letters of support including Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana; U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana; and Mrvan.

BP, whose largest oil refinery is down the street from Lakefront Park, will also be a partner on the project.

Marsh said the financial burden for the necessary overpass should not fall on the taxpayers through federal funding, but on BP.

“It’s a BP town,” Marsh said. “Pony up and pay for that overpass now.”

Spebar said BP paying for everything is not feasible, but that they have provided some financing for the current stage of preliminary engineering, and the city will have “future conversations” with them.

In a statement to The Times, BP said they support the project and look forward to continuing to work with the city.

The overpass will be located at the Front Street entrance to the park.

Spebar said the city will be meeting with the DOT within the next two weeks and engineering will begin within the next month or so. He said the project should be completed by the end of next year.

Mrvan said he has spent a lot of time at the lakefront as a native of the Region and a parent of two daughters. He called the lakefront one of Northwest Indiana's greatest assets.

"I will do everything I can to remove all obstacles to make sure we have access to Mother Nature,” Mrvan said. “It’s a way of life in Northwest Indiana.”