Beginning Tuesday, May 11, 2021, the City of Hammond will temporarily close most roads and alleys connecting to Stateline Avenue between Highland Street to the north and 165th Street to the south. Closures include Detroit Street, Kenwood Street and Cleveland Street along with the alley south of Detroit and the alley north of Wildwood. Roads and alleys will reopen on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Wildwood Street will remain open one-way westbound. Highland and 165th Streets are not affected.
The one-week closures are planned to perform maintenance and, more importantly, to survey residents of their preference on whether or not the City should restrict access to the neighborhood from the west.
“Some resident’s in the Kenwood Addition of Hammond are seeking the City to close Cleveland and Kenwood Streets due to high traffic volumes and other concerns,” said Mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. “The City seeks input from local residents when considering whether or not streets should be closed to limit traffic through the neighborhood.”
Surveys are being sent out next week to residents in the Kenwood Addition, Glendale Park and Homewood Addition neighborhoods in Hammond asking their preference on the closure. Surveys are due back to the City by May 31, 2021. One survey is being sent to each household. While responses may be anonymous, residents providing their address will help the City better understand factors involved in closing the streets.
In 2019, the City closed 136th Street from Sheffield Avenue to Illinois due to poor roadway condition and surveyed north Hammond residents on their preference of the road closure. “An overwhelming majority of residents surveyed wanted Boy Scout Road reopened. We asked. They responded. We listened,” said Mayor McDermott when the road reopened.
In 2011, the City closed Parkview Avenue to Indianapolis Boulevard in Robertsdale due to high traffic volumes because most residents complained of motorist speeding through the neighborhood. “We listened then and closed the road permanently and residents benefited with a quieter neighborhood,” said Mayor McDermott.
