Gary Mayor Backs South Shore Funding

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Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson is pushing for the city to help fund the planned $571 million expansion of the South Shore commuter line. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report the city council will consider a proposal to commit about $9 million over 30 years to the eight-mile extension to Dyer. The council could vote on the proposal at its June 2 meeting. The proposal would call on the city to commit 7.5 percent of its part of the county economic development income tax to the project, which would amount to about $300,000 per year for 30 years.

Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly approved $6 million per year for the next 30 years to help fund the effort. During an April interview on Inside INdiana Business Television, Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority Chhief Executive Officer Bill Hanna said the project will help the region compete with the Chicago suburbs for talent.

The extension has been discussed for more than a decade. Service could begin in 2023.