It's been a very busy year for the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. As we head into the final weeks of 2015, here's a look back at some RDA highlights from the past 12 months.
In what was probably the most important development, the RDA worked in concert with the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), local civic and business leaders, and the Northwest Indiana delegation to the General Assembly to secure a $180 million state investment to expand South Shore commuter rail service in Lake County via the West Lake Corridor. In 2016 the RDA and NICTD will complete initial environmental and planning work, and make a formal request to the Federal Transit Administration to enter project development.
This past year also saw the RDA, the City of Gary, the region and the State all celebrate the completion of the runway expansion and railroad relocation project at the Gary/Chicago International Airport. We also provided part of the funding for a $13.5 million road realignment project near the Gary airport which will facilitate an expansion of Carmeuse Lime and development of an industrial park in the airport's footprint.
Our efforts to improve the Lake Michigan shoreline focused on East Chicago in 2015. We saw the completion of the Unity Plaza project and the start of work on the Promenade at Jeorse Beach and on retail development in the North Harbor area. All of this was part of the first phase of the city's Waterfront Revitalization Initiative. In 2015, the RDA Board of Directors approved a second grant of $12.9 million for phase II of the initiative.
The Board also approved a $6 million grant to the Town of Munster to support a $35 million street realignment project that will open the way for transit-oriented development in Munster once the West Lake Corridor is put through. Additionally, RDA also provided a $317,000 grant to the Porter County Regional Airport to act as matching funds to secure more than $12 million for runway and equipment improvements, and a $250,000 grant to assist in keeping dial-a-ride service going in North Township. That RDA grant provides a match to access $1.25 million in federal money.
2015 also saw the first use of the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, with the Board approving approximately $400,000 for remediation work at the site of the Ambassador Apartments in Gary. The year also marked two of the last uses of the RDA's deal-closing fund, which provided financial support for the relocation of American Stair from Illinois to Hammond and Hoist Liftrucks from Illinois to East Chicago. Our authority for that program was terminated by the General Assembly during the 2015 session.
In 2016, the RDA will focus most strongly on transportation-related initiatives, including: the West Lake Corridor; upgrades to the existing South Shore line; and transit-oriented development planning. We would like to thank all those who have worked with us and supported us over the past year, and look forward to continuing our trusted, tested, results-oriented partnership in the year ahead.
