Borman Expressway
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|---|---|
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by INDOT | |
| Length | 15.46 mi[1] (24.88 km) |
| Major junctions | |
 I-65 in Gary | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| Counties | Lake |
| Highway system | |
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The Frank Borman Expressway is an east–west highway in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. The expressway consists of parts of Interstate 80, Interstate 94, and U.S. Highway 6, as well as a short section of U.S. Highway 41. The designation begins from the Illinois state line east to the Lake/Porter County Line, just east of the junction with the Indiana Toll Road. The Expressway has been identified in federal transportation legislation as part of High Priority Corridor 18, Segment 27, making current and future construction projects on I-94 eligible for federal funding in association with extending Interstate 69 to the Texas/Mexico border.
The Borman Expressway is a major truck thoroughfare, providing a free alternative to the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway to the north. Originally constructed in segments starting in the 1950s, with its Illinois counterpart, the Kingery Expressway, reconstruction of the expressway began in 2004.[2] Flooding in 2007 and and 2008 caused road closures, but measures are in place to allevaite future occurences.
Route description
The designation of the expressway begins at the state line, where the Kingery Expressway becomes the Borman. It has interchanges with 11 roads, such as U.S. Route 41, Cline Avenue, and Interstate 65. At the Indiana Toll Road, Interstate 80 turns eastward. The highway after the Toll Road, now designated solely as Interstate 94, continues eastward towards Michigan City and Detroit.[1] Detroit is the control city going eastward on Interstate 94, from the Indiana/Illinois border all the way through Michigan.
History
The expressway now known as the Borman was originally known as the Tri-State Highway, and construction of the expressway began in 1949.[3] The designation went through the Kingery Expressway, and eventually linked with the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois.[4] It was originally considered to be Indiana 420.[5] U.S. 6 diverged at Calumet Avenue south, and ran on Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road.[6]
At various times, the expressway was extended from Indianapolis Boulevard to Burr Street, then to Georgia Street east of Broadway, and eventually to the Toll Road.[4] Some time after the enactment of the Interstate Highway System, the expressway was designated as I-80, 90, and 294, and the I-94 designation was applied to the Toll Road west of where the current interchange with the Borman was eventually built.[6][7] The expressways were renumbered around 1965, to avoid the implication that through drivers must change roads to stay on I-90 or I-94, resulting in the Borman becoming I-80/94. U.S. 6 was extended to Ripley Street at that time, and I-294 was cut back to the Tri-State Tollway. The Borman Expressway is named after Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 space mission, who was born in Gary.[8]
Reconstruction
Reconstruction of the Borman commenced in 2004.[2] The reconstruction of both the Kingery and the Borman aim to reduce significantly the amounts of delays encountered on the highway. The reconstructed portion of the Borman is 8 lanes wide, with additional collector-distributor lanes between interchanges. Construction between the Illinois state line and Exit 11 (I-65 south ramp to Indianapolis) was completed in 2007. The Interstate 65 Interchange Modification Project will continue into 2009, including replacing the pavement of the Borman to Central Avenue.[9]
The Borman and Cline Avenue State Route 912 interchange is a partial cloverleaf interchange. Two flyover ramps allow southbound Cline Avenue traffic to merge onto the eastbound Borman Expressway, and northbound Cline Avenue traffic to merge onto the westbound Borman. The remaining ramps utilize the cloverleaf design.[10]
Flooding
On Saturday, September 13, 2008 at approximately 9:00 a.m. CDT, all lanes of the Borman Expressway in both directions at Kennedy Avenue in Hammond, Indiana were closed by the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana State Police due to severe flooding from the Little Calumet River. A levee breach, thanks to torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ike, reportedly caused water from the river to cascade across all lanes to a depth of nearly five feet under the Kennedy Avenue overpass. The expressway remained shutdown in both directions until Wednesday, September 17, 2008. There had also been flooding in August 2007 and various measures have been undertaken to prevent furure occurrences.[11]
Exit list
For exits on the Borman Expressway, see Interstate 94 in Indiana.
References
- ^ a b "Length & location of Borman Expressway". Google. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ a b "Time Line of the Borman Expressway Reconstruction Project". INDOT. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ "City of Hammond History". City of Hammond, Indiana. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ a b "Region's first free expressway built in "another time"". The Times of Northwest Indiana. 2007-04-01. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- ^ Calumet River Valley Photos:The Borman Expressway; Indiana Road Ends: Historic Indiana 420.
- ^ a b Official Indiana State Map (Map) (1963-64 ed.). INDOT. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ Dimapco Indiana State Map (Map) (1960s ed.). DX Oil. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ "Frank Borman". INDOT. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "About the Borman Expressway Reconstruction Project". INDOT. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
- ^ Google. "Google Maps". Retrieved 2008-03-22.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Benman, Keith (12 August 2009). "Borman to get flood fix at Kennedy". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Munster, Indiana: nwitimes.com. Retrieved 2010-01-23.