Cline Ave Bridge to be Demolished

Born in tragedy and recently found to be gravely weakened, the Cline Avenue bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal will be permanently closed and demolished, a state transportation official announced Monday.
Another month of inspections and consultations with engineers has revealed significant problems in every component of the span, which was closed temporarily Nov. 13, according to Bob Zier, chief of staff to Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael Reed.
Now, businesses, local government and the public will be invited to come up with ideas for "further construction" to get goods to steel mills, patrons to casinos and facilitate traffic around Cline Avenue, Zier said.
"That may include the rebuilding of portions of Cline Avenue, but it would not include the rebuilding of the Cline Avenue bridges as we have them today," Zier said.
INDOT has not yet planned or scheduled the demolition of the span.
The portion of Cline Avenue from the Borman Expressway to Michigan Avenue will remain open, Zier said.
INDOT plans to meet with local business and government leaders in February to gather input, Zier said. There will also be a public hearing.
In the short term, INDOT will move forward with all local improvement projects for streets that are bearing the brunt of the closure, Zier said. It also plans to come up with new ones such as turn-off lanes and additional traffic lights where needed.
Local businesses, government officials and organizations were briefed by Zier on conference calls that went on for most of Monday.
The 1.25-mile bridge is part of a key industrial artery that leads to steel mills along Lake Michigan and the Majestic Star Casinos, in Gary, and Ameristar Casino, in East Chicago.
Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Ryan said his organization was told in a conference call with Zier that the arching bridge will not be re-opened, repaired or replaced.
Ryan said Zier said the 30,000 vehicles per day using the elevated highway would not justify the expense of the replacement. In the 1980s, up to 80,000 vehicles per day used Cline Avenue.
"But to not do anything with it at all?" Ryan said. "I mean, 30,000 cars is 30,000 cars. And the heavy truck traffic is the other use -- all the steel rolling out of there."
The average bridge in Lake and Porter counties carries about 17,000 vehicles per day, according to 2008 federal bridge inventory data. The most heavily traveled bridge in the two counties is on Interstate 80/94, and it gets 200,000 vehicles per day.
Three days after the Cline Avenue bridge was closed, INDOT released a draft four-year transportation plan that called for spending $90 million on replacing the superstructure of the bridge, which is basically everything above the massive upright piers that hold it up. That was slated to take place in 2012.
Zier said that plan has been scratched.
INDOT wants to replace it with something that will have a broader impact on economic development in the region. But the plan could possibly still include a bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal.
He said the state's budget shortfall had nothing to do with the decision to rethink the $90 million project.
"We have this money due to the Major Moves program and leasing of the Toll Road," Zier said, referring to the $3.8 billion payment the state received in 2006 from leasing the Indiana Toll Road to private investors.
INDOT's announcement comes one week after Gov. Mitch Daniels said he would accelerate the bridge's scheduled 2012 replacement with money available from his Major Moves highway program.
Contacted just after the INDOT announcement Monday, the governor's spokeswoman, Jane Jankowski, said Daniels agreed with INDOT's plan to get input from local stakeholders.
"I think all he said last week was, that what he wanted to see done, was that this be expedited," Jankowksi said. "And so, INDOT is now doing that.
"They're meeting with folks as quickly as they can, and whatever the ultimate decision is, they plan to move that forward quickly. So I think everybody's on the same page here: to consult locally, find out what the best plan is to move forward, and make that call by the end of February."
Certain intersections and streets will receive priority in getting improvements in the short term, Zier said.
Those include Dickey Road at the railroad crossing; Riley Road and 129th Street; 129th Street at Indianapolis Boulevard, Michigan Avenue at Dickey Road; and U.S. 12 and Cline Avenue ramps that connect with ArcelorMittal.
Current detours will remain in place. Westbound Cline Avenue traffic will continue to take U.S. 12 west to Indianapolis Boulevard, then west to southbound Calumet Avenue. Eastbound traffic will continue to take northbound Calumet Avenue to Indianapolis Boulevard, then east to U.S. 12 and back to Cline Avenue.
The bridge has a tragic history. As it was being built in 1982 a portion collapsed, killing 14 construction workers and injuring 16 others.
The bridge was closed in November, one week after the state received a report from an engineering firm telling INDOT to ban trucks greater than 18 tons and not to allow any vehicles on the shoulders of the elevated roadway.
The Cline Avenue bridge is what is known as a post-tensioned, concrete box girder bridge. Its poured-in-place girders are supported by thick cables stretched through ductwork within the concrete.
Concerns about such bridges were raised nine years ago when it was discovered cables had come apart in three major bridges in Florida due to corrosion.
On Nov. 13, INDOT closed the Cline Avenue bridge as a precaution, based on the report's findings.
Subsequent inspections have shown even more problems, Zier said.
"We found issues with the cables, we found issues with the concrete, we found issues with the beams and where they contact with the support piers," he said.
By Keith Benman keith.benman@nwi.com, (219) 933-3326 Posted: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 12:10 am

OnStar OnBoard Santa’s Sleigh

Santa Claus’ sleigh got a technology upgrade this Christmas season with OnStar. In partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), OnStar allows subscribers to follow Santa’s global journey beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve.
Subscribers simply push the blue OnStar button in their vehicle and request a “Santa Update." An OnStar Advisor will give children and the kid-at-heart updates on Santa’s journey.
Want behind-the-scenes Santa preparation footage? Check out the video link below to see Santa picking up his OnStar-equipped sleigh and visiting the OnStar Command Center:
http://communicator.gm.com/v5/sites/features/2009/newsline/video/onstar2.wmv

Tuesday Specials in Service!

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We know that your new vehicle purchase is an important one. And we're so certain you'll love your new Chevy, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle, we're proud to offer our 60-day Satisfaction Guarantee.

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OnStar Helps Senator Corker’s Daughter Recover Tahoe

Julia Corker, 22-year-old daughter of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., stopped the family's Chevy Tahoe Wednesday evening just nine blocks from the U.S. Capitol building to help someone she thought needed directions, reports CNN."A gentleman appeared, opened the door, grabbed her by the neck," the senator said. "She kicked to try to get away ... and he threw her on the pavement and drove away."

The SUV was stolen near the Verizon Center, a glitzy arena in Washington. Ms. Corker called police and then her father, who was nearby."It's pretty incredible how quickly they were able to apprehend" the suspects, the senator said.

The two people in the car were taken into custody by police in Seat Pleasant, Md., after OnStar determined their exact location and showed that the vehicle was not moving, Corker explained. Police in Seat Pleasant, recovered the vehicle later that night. Julia Corker and the senator went to Seat Pleasant about midnight, where she identified a suspect.

The senator praised the work of the Metropolitan Police the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and the Seat Pleasant Police.
He also admitted he often thought about canceling the OnStar service subscription. "I was telling the lady who handles that for me in Chattanooga, each month I was saying, 'I don't want to pay this, I don't want to pay this,'" Corker said, adding that it was a nominal fee. But he kept the service, "thinking that maybe OnStar would be of some help" someday, Corker said. "Certainly it paid off tremendously.”

GM Media Online features how the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown process works.

The link to the video page on Media Online is here:http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/videos.brand_gm.htmlClick on OnStar, and the video is the first one in that category.

Preview of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze!

Chevrolet has confirmed details and unveiled images of the 2011 Cruze compact sedan, which is set to be revealed in the sheet metal at the 2009 LA Auto Show on December 2. Set to compete directly with the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet expects the Cruze to stand out because of its expected highway fuel economy of 40 mpg.

The Cruze achieves this 40 mpg rating (and a cruising range of more than 500 miles) when equipped with its new, small-displacement Ecotec 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. Standard on LT and LTZ models, the Ecotec 1.4L engine develops an estimated 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque

Stepping over to the LS model nets you, among other things, a larger displacement 1.8-liter naturally aspirated engine and access to a larger wheel and tire package. With either engine, the Cruze is available with automatic and manual transmissions, both of which are six-speed units.
Keeping the Cruze connected to the road is a MacPherson strut suspension up front and a Watts Z-link independent suspension in the rear, which, according to Chevy, helps to keep the Cruze's handling responses symmetrical on both left-hand and right-hand turns. Standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, traction control, antilock brakes and electric power steering also do their part to keep the Cruze's 16-, 17-, or 18-inch wheels on the tarmac.

"Corvette Inspired" (Credit: Chevrolet)

Meanwhile, inside the "Corvette-inspired" cabin, the Cruze benefits from an array of noise canceling technologies, from hydraulic ride bushings to nylon baffles filled with sound-absorbent foam in the body to improved weather seals and tighter panel gap tolerances. Expect a reasonable list of infotainment technologies, including a six-speaker stereo system with MP3 playback capability, an auxiliary jack for personal playback devices as standard with available XM Satellite Radio, and OnStar. Premium audio comes in the form of a Pioneer sound system with a USB port for iPod operation, Blue tooth, and navigation.

The full list of cabin technologies hasn't been carved in stone yet and much can change between now and the Cruze's launch in third-quarter 2010. Stay tuned to our coverage of the 2009 LA Auto Show for more details as they emerge.

Credit: Antuan Goodwin

Individual Service Prices

Lube, Oil and Filter Change $32.88
Tire Rotation $17.884
Wheel Computer Balance $39.88
Coolant Flush $159.88
Replace Fuel Filter $79.882
Wheel Alignment $78.884
Wheel Alignment $129.88
Power Steering Flush $109.88
Transmission Flush $199.88
Fuel Induction Service $159.88
4x4 Service $499.88
Differential Service $99.88
Front Break Pads $79.88
Replace Ait Filter $21.88
A/C Performance Check $49.88
Brake Fluid Flush $99.88
Synthetic Differential Service $139.88
Brake Inspection & Service $39.88
Cooling System Drain & Fill $74.88
Complete Detail $149.88
The Prices above cover most vehicles, some may be slightly higher

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Service Packages

Package A: 3,000 Mile Service $32.95 Plus Tax & Disposal Fee
Change Engine Oil
Replace Oil Filter
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Lube Chassis
Reset Oil Light
Vehicle Maintenance Inspection
Reset Tire Monitor System

Package B: 6,000 Mile Service $84.95 Plus Tax & Disposal fee
Change Engine Oil
Replace Oil Filter
Adjust Tire Pressure
Top Off Fluids
Lube Chassis
Tire Rotation
Service, Clean & Adjust Brakes
Vehicle Maintenance Inspection
Service Engine Air Filter
Remove Premium Package
Reset Tire Monitor System

Package C: 15,000 Mile Service $229.95 Plus Tax & Disposal Fee
Change Engine Oil
Replace Oil Filter
Top Off Fluids
Lube Chassis
Rotate & Balance Tires
Inspect Battery Terminals
Inspect Cabin Air Filter
Replace Engine Air Filter (As required)
Replace Fuel Filter (in-line only, as required)
Reset Tire Monitor System

Package D: 30,000 Mile Service $443.88 Plus Tax & Disposal Fee
Change Engine Oil & Filter
Service & Adjust Rear Brakes
Flush Transmission Service
Replace Air Filter
Flush Fuel Injectors
Throttle Body Service
Decarbon Engine Cylinder & Valves
Rotate & Balance Tires
Adjust Parking Brake
Service Engine Air Filter & Replace (if necessary)
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The "Service Packages" listed above are recommended by the dealership based on the local driving conditions. Price are for most vehicles. Preventative Maintenance Saves Money!

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