Critics: I-80/94’s construction contributed to flooding, delays

HAMMOND, Ind. – Residents and officials are questioning why Interstate 80/94 flooded last week, causing parts of the route into Chicago that is one of the nation’s busiest stretches of highway to be closed for three days.\nIndiana Department of Transportation officials defended the design, saying unusually heavy rains were to blame for the closure of the highway section that has been rebuilt over the past three years.\n“It was an act of nature,” INDOT spokesman Joshua Bingham said.\nBut area residents and officials, including Hammond’s city engineer, rejected that argument. They believe some improper drainage was to blame for the problems with the highway known in the area as the Borman Expressway.\n“I’m not an engineer, but I can tell you there’s a problem and it must be fixed,” Hammond City Councilman Dan Repay said.\nA section of the highway was closed to all traffic on Saturday and partially shut Friday through Sunday because of flooding that reached three feet deep at points in a \nthree-mile stretch.\nBingham said last week’s storms created a 100-year flood for the Little Calumet River that runs along the highway.\n“INDOT didn’t cause the flood. The rain caused the flood,” he said.\nStanley Dostatni, Hammond’s city engineer, said he believed the reconstructed highway is susceptible to flooding because the new design narrowed the storm water ditches considerably. He said that means when the area becomes saturated with rising flood waters, the water has nowhere to go but on the road.\nINDOT spokeswoman Angie Fegaras said Dostatni was mistaken. Despite how it appears, she said the ditch system was upgraded and is “adequate” for normal amounts of rain.\nCrew were continuing Tuesday to pump water from the ramps and some surrounding areas at two interchanges for I-80/94 a few miles east of the Illinois-Indiana state line. All ramps were not expected to be reopened until late in \nthe week.