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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Ind. Law - "Court might halt State Line curb" in Hammond/Calumet City dispute

A week ago the ILB had the story from the Indiana point-of-view. Today, here is the story, as reported in the Chicago Tribune. The headline: "Cities divided over a curb: Hammond has the go-ahead to build a traffic barrier, but Calumet City seethes at the perceived slight that some say is about race." Some quotes:

It will only be an 8-inch-high concrete curb, but it has divided residents in Calumet City and Hammond like a brick wall.

And after months of public debate, hearings and a last-minute court battle, construction started Wednesday on the curb that will stretch about a half-mile along State Line Road and block vehicular traffic in the less-affluent Calumet City from reaching a residential neighborhood in Hammond.

To construct the 6-inch-wide curb, Hammond is knocking down trees lining the picturesque avenue and installing an underground drainage system. Though Hammond officials have pitched the $630,000 barricade as a way to make its neighborhoods safer, the project has pitted two mayors, other public officials and dozens of residents against each other. A community deciding to insulate itself typically breeds tension, experts say.

A battle over a barricade that separated a street in Evanston from Chicago lasted for years and wound up in court. Racism was alleged in Beverly when the neighborhood planned cul-de-sacs to cut off traffic. * * *

Along the state line between Indiana and Illinois, some residents see the curb as an attempt to keep a wealthier community that is 72 percent white separate from its neighbor that is 53 percent black and 11 percent Hispanic, according to U.S. Census figures.

Those who support the barrier say their integrity is being attacked because they want to block out heavy traffic. * * *

Calumet City went to court to try and stop the project this week. Lawyers argued the road has existed for decades and the only thing that has changed is the racial composition of the region.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said he resents that people see racial undertones in the project.

"It's a quality of life issue," McDermott said. "A lot has been made of race. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with traffic." * * *

At a court hearing Tuesday about the curb, Hammond officials said they did not conduct formal simulations of how traffic would flow with the curb. Hammond's engineers determined the project's impact on traffic volume, they said.

After the hearing, [Calcmet City Mayor] Markiewicz Qualkinbush said she has suggested alternatives to slow down traffic, but that McDermott isn't listening.

In court Tuesday, when Calumet City's request to halt construction was denied, Markiewicz Qualkinbush and McDermott barely looked at each other.

The ILB saw no mention in the Chicago Tribune story of what court, in which state. However, this Munster (NW Indiana) Times story from Tuesday reports:
According to a federal lawsuit and statements from the city's mayor and attorney Monday, Calumet City officials believe public safety will be harmed by the project because it will create circuitous routes for emergency vehicles.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 6, 2006 07:58 AM
Posted to Indiana Law