https://twitter.com/INDOTNorthwest/status/289760970237161472/photo/1
In Hammond, the Indiana Department of Transportation says the closure of the State Road 152 bridge over the rail yards – better known locally as the Nine Span on Indianapolis Boulevard – was closing to all traffic as of 5:30 this morning (Mon Jan 14 2013).
The INDOT detour directs motorists to use Cline Avenue, the Borman Expressway, and US 20/ Michigan Street to get around the closure, which is expected to last most of the year. Here's the official detour route from INDOT:
A detour will take northbound traffic south on S.R. 152 (Indianapolis Blvd.), east on I-80/94, north on S.R. 912 (Cline Ave.), and west on U.S. 20 (Michigan St.). Southbound traffic will travel east on U.S. 20 (Michigan St.), south on S.R. 912 (Cline Ave.), west on I-80/94, and north on S.R. 152 (Indianapolis Blvd.).
Underneath the 75-year-old nine-span is big new economic development, as an international fertilizer giant from Canada is building a facility in the vicinity.
INDOT plans to save part of the historic structure, and eventually parts of it might be incorporated into a local community's walking trail.
The Nine-Span, which links Hammond and East Chicago,  was built in the 1930s. The website hammondindiana-dot-com says at one point it was reported to be the longest bridge over dry land in the country  
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