Borman Expressway

Infobox road
marker_

state=IN
highway_name=Borman Expressway
maint=INDOT
length_mi=15.46
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web|url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=Portage,+Indiana&daddr=Lansing,+Illinois&layer=&sll=41.58258,-87.228012&sspn=0.087827,0.160675&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=12&ll=41.576159,-87.377014&spn=0.175672,0.32135|title=Length & location of Borman Expressway|accessdate=2007-04-16|work=Google]
established=
direction_a=West
starting_terminus=
junction=
direction_b=East
ending_terminus=
counties=Lake
cities=
system=

The Frank Borman Expressway is an east-west highway in northwest portion of the U.S. state of Indiana, carrying 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 Borman 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/Chicago Skyway combination (Interstate 90) 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.cite web|url=http://www.state.in.us/dot/div/specialprojects/borman/about/time.html|title=Time Line of the Borman Expressway Reconstruction Project|accessdate=2007-04-16|format=HTML|publisher=INDOT]

The Borman Expressway is named after Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 space mission, who was born in Gary. [cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/dot/div/specialprojects/borman/about/frank.html|accessdate=2007-03-18|title=Frank Borman|publisher=INDOT]

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. 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.cite web|url=http://www.hammondindiana.com/history2.htm|title=City of Hammond History|accessdate=2007-04-16|format=HTML|work=City of Hammond, Indiana] The designation went through the Kingery Expressway, and eventually linked with the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois.cite news|title=Region's first free expressway built in "another time"|publisher=The Times of Northwest Indiana|url=http://nwi.com/articles/2007/04/01/opinion/forum/doce1738a51a0ad9ae5862572ad00722f28.txt|date=2007-04-01|accessdate=2007-04-03] It was originally considered to be Indiana 420. [ [http://www.roadfan.com/ninney.html Calumet River Valley Photos:The Borman Expressway] ; [http://indyroads.50megs.com/s3/ind420.html Indiana Road Ends: Historic Indiana 420] .] U.S. 6 diverged at Calumet Avenue south, and ran on Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road.cite map
publisher=INDOT
title=Official Indiana State Map
url=http://illi-indi.com/showScannedMap.php?id=278
edition=1963-64
cartography=
accessdate=2007-04-16]

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. 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.cite map
publisher=DX Oil
title=Dimapco Indiana State Map
url=http://illi-indi.com/showScannedMap.php?id=95
edition=1960s
cartography=
accessdate=2007-04-16] 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.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction of the Borman commenced in 2004. 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.cite web|url=http://www.state.in.us/dot/div/specialprojects/borman/about/about.html|title=About the Borman Expressway Reconstruction Project|accessdate=2007-04-16|format=HTML|publisher=INDOT]

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.cite web |url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.496064,59.765625&ie=UTF8&ll=41.570316,-87.432289&spn=0.013581,0.029182&z=15 |title=Google Maps |author=Google |accessdate=2008-03-22]

Flooding

On Saturday September 13th 2008 at approximately 9 am 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 Patrol due to severe flooding from the Little Calumet River. A levee break reportedly caused a torrent of water from the river to cascade across all lanes to a depth of nearly 5 feet under the Kennedy avenue overpass. InDot reports that the expressway will remain shutdown in both directions until at least Wednesday September 17th 2008. Detours are posted using locally US 6 business, US 30 &, US 12/20, & the Indiana Toll Road/Chicago Skyway/I-90 (preferred truck route/interstate travel route). Flooding of this magnitude on the Borman is unprecedented.

Exit list

For exits on the Borman Expressway, see Interstate 94 in Indiana.

References

External links

* [http://www.in.gov/dot/div/trafficwise/ Traffic information on the Borman and I-65]
* [http://www.in.gov/dot/div/specialprojects/borman/index.html Borman Expressway Reconstruction Project]