CROWN POINT – The Board of the Directors of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority approved a $6 million matching grant for the 45th Street Realignment and Grade Separation Project in Munster. RDA board approves grant for Munster, which will change the intersection of Calumet Avenue and East 45th Street to a single, four-legged intersection via a grade-separated structure at the crossing with the railroad tracks, is located approximately three miles northeast of the proposed Dyer/Munster West Lake commuter station, and just over two miles southeast of the proposed Ridge Road and Manor Drive station location.

“Calumet Avenue will be a primary access route to both stations and will be closely linked to transit-oriented development opportunities within the corridor,” noted RDA President and CEO Bill Hanna. “It will relieve traffic congestion along the corridor and enhance access to the proposed West Lake Stations, increasing the potential for transit-oriented development.”

This grant builds upon $28.6 million in matching funds provided by local and state sources. The RDA’s $6 million will be combined with $10 million from Munster, up to $9 million from the State of Indiana and $9.6 million from the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC). The total cost of the project is $34.6 million.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority was established in 2005 through a bipartisan effort including former Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Congressman Peter J. Visclosky, key state legislators, and local elected officials, the RDA is quasi-governmental development entity entrusted to make public investment decisions within a regional framework for supporting catalytic infrastructure projects and inducing private sector investment. Years of successful results have made it a trusted and tested partner for growth in Northwest Indiana. For more information, visit www.rdatransformation.com or www.in.gov/rda