The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) actively works across counties and towns to improve the infrastructure of the Region. Currently, the RDA is working closely with the Town of Dyer as they both support the Main Street/West Line train depot development.
Existing within both the Town of Dyer and Munster city limits, the NWI RDA is an active partner in the new West Line advancement.
“The new West Lake line starts in Dyer and brings great possibilities for transit throughout the region,” David Wellman, director of communications for the NWI RDA said. “Our work includes supporting our area partners and the Transit-Oriented Development (a national organization to improve transit infrastructure throughout the nation).”
The West Line development provides not only a unique opportunity for collaboration but also exists in the perfect location.
“The West Lake Corridor Munster/Dyer Station will be the final stop on the system,” said David Hein, Dyer town manager. “The portion located in Dyer will be the ‘Kiss-and-Ride’ and handicap-accessible parking lot.”
The NWI RDA and others also recognize the benefits of working with active, forward-thinking leaders.
“This station is a fantastic opportunity for an already thriving community,” Wellman said. “Not only has the Town of Dyer been a great partner to work with, but they’ve invested a lot of time and effort into this project.”
The Town of Dyer realized the benefits of this project early on and worked with its partners proactively. This work involved strategic identification of needs and ways to maximize the benefits for the community.
“The RDA has worked with Dyer to establish a Transit Development District where the RDA can help to fund Transit-Oriented Development projects,” Wellman said. “The goal is to accelerate development and thus the return on investment to the state of Indiana as well as to the many communities that have partnered to fund these projects.”
Although these projects take time, the NWI RDA recognizes how much it will benefit the Northwest Indiana area.
“We want to deliver the benefits as rapidly as possible and make Northwest Indiana the place to be in the Chicagoland market,” said Wellman.
Making sure that these improvements are made quickly and effectively is a large asset for the community.
“The station will be a huge step for regional transportation,” Hein said. “Early research showed the advantages of the train to go back and forth to access the resources in Chicago and in our area allowing us to re-invest in the housing market, local economy, etc.”
Many think of transit being used to get into Chicago rather than coming to the Region. However, the NWI RDA has research to prove the opposite is also true.
“When we originally did the projections for the project, we estimated that the West Lake development in combination with others would add 11,000 new residents to Northwest Indiana and more than $2 billion by the mid-2040s,” said Wellman.
To learn more about the West Lake project and all the improvements the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is a part of, please visit in.gov/rda.
