By PAULENE POPARAD

Communities and counties within 10 miles of the Indiana Toll Road used to be able to apply for grants for projects that would increase or enhance use of the Toll Road. Chesterton would be eligible, but that program was stopped in 1997 and a state official said Thursday it isn’t likely to be reinstated any time soon.

According to Stephanie Rhinesmith, fiscal analyst for the Indiana Transportation Finance Authority, “The ITFA Board and the Toll Road liked doing these projects, but the needs of the Toll Road must come first.”

Between 1988 and 1996, $34.7 million was awarded for local projects including $3.2 million to Portage in 1995 for Willowcreek Road. But not any more.

At a sparsely-attended hearing of the Northwest Indiana Transportation Study Commission in Portage, ITFA, Toll Road and Indiana Department of Transportation officials gave seven state legislators a detailed overview of Toll Road operations and needs.

The last toll increase on the 157-mile divided highway, opened in 1956 linking Illinois and Ohio, was in 1985 and no toll hike is proposed at this time.

Officials said this year commercial traffic, which represents 60 percent of Toll Road users, is down while passenger-vehicle use is up, possibly due to more people driving than flying after Sept. 11.

State Rep. Charlie Brown, Gary, and State Sen. Rose Ann Antich, Merrillville, both asked if additional toll roads could be designated, perhaps Interstate 65. ITFA’s Diana Hamilton said she didn’t know if a federal highway could be, adding that extensive feasibility studies would need to be done to determine a per-toll cost and potential revenue for any proposed toll road.

The ITFA, successor to the Indiana Toll Road Commission, owns the Toll Road but leases its management and operation to INDOT. In 1988, ITFA was granted the additional power to construct, acquire, reconstruct, improve and extend other Indiana highways, bridges, streets and roads and to issue bonds for that work.

As of July 1, the ITFA had $234 million in bonds outstanding through 2015.

Hamilton said operating expenses, debt service and routine maintenance must be funded before the Toll Road can undertake additional projects along its route. The total project cost must be available in a reserve fund to approve an additional project.

Total Toll Road income for fiscal year 2000-01 dipped to $98.7 million, a 3.2 percent loss over the previous year. Estimated total annual income for fiscal year 2001-02 is $94 million leaving a possible $40 million for additional-project reserves.

Projects already approved are a $13.8 million redesign eliminating the stop light at Interstate 65 and the Toll Road in Lake County, and adding a third lane to the Toll Road between Broadway and Cline Avenue in Lake County at a cost of $44 million. Preliminarily approved until the $98 million becomes available is adding a third lane from Broadway to Interstate 65, and interchange improvements at Milepost 21 and Interstate 94.

Sam Wolfe of the Toll Road said INDOT wants to add the third lanes before the Borman Expressway is torn up building additional lanes of its own. If the Toll Road doesn’t prepare, Wolfe added, back-ups will occur.

Wolfe also stated if the Toll Road’s bridges were set end to end, eight of the 12 miles would be in Lake and Porter counties.

Of the Toll Road’s 342 bridges, 306 were built before 1959 and many are due for rehabilitation. Roughly $90 million is needed to maintain bridges in good condition for preservation only over the next 10 years.

State Sen. Joseph Zakas of Elkhart/St. Joseph counties asked if two-trailer Michigan train semis, now restricted to certain portions, could be charged a higher permit fee to use the Toll Road. Hamilton said engineering studies have shown they cause more damage to the bridges than the additional revenue would warrant.