Despite some residents’ concerns, the city of Hammond’s Governors Parkway project has received approval under the National Environmental Policy Act.

“The rigorous environmental review process is complete,” Mayor Tom McDermott said in a Friday news release. “We have mitigated for all environmental aspects of the project including tree replacement, wetland mitigation, identification and protection of endangered species, among others. I’m happy to finally move forward with improving safety (responses) for our residents and solving the decades old problem of stopped trains in Hessville.”

NEPA established a national policy for the environment and provided for the establishment of the Council on Environmental Quality, according to the act’s website. The act requires federal agencies to assess environmental effects of proposed major federal actions before making decisions.

Governors Parkway is a multimillion-dollar project that’s an overpass linking 173rd Street and 169th Street between Parrish and Grand avenues.

The project first had its public hearing two years ago, according to the city’s news release.

Hammond was the subject of a 2023 ProPublica article that found children would climb over or under stopped trains to get to school. According to Post-Tribune archives, McDermott said in May 2023 that Governors Parkway “solves about 80% of the problem.”

The overpass is about a mile away from where pedestrians were regularly crossing trains. In May 2023, McDermott was looking into the possibility of building an additional pedestrian bridge, which some residents said would cost more than $7 million.

Governors Parkway was awarded more than $7 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration through the Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program.

In 2018, the project received $5.45 million from Indiana’s Local Trax Program, providing state matching funds for rail crossing safety improvements.

Terry Steagall, a member of opposition group Save Briar East Woods, reached out to the Indiana Department of Transportation with concerns about the project.

Members of the Save Briar East Woods group are against the Governors Parkway project because it would go through the forest. Briar East Woods is a 4,000-year-old forest in Hammond’s Hessville neighborhood and one of the last surviving remnants of the High Tolleston Dunes, according to Just Transition Indiana’s website.

Residents have argued the forest is a resource for all Northwest Indiana community members, and the city will struggle environmentally without it. Advocates also feel the city hasn’t been transparent with residents about the project.

On March 13, the city announced it would install a boundary fence around Briar East Woods, a city-owned, 18-acre parcel, according to Hammond’s website. The fence was complete by March 18.

“The city needs to begin preparations for the Governors Parkway project. By fencing this area off, we are making sure that the trespassing, illegal motorized vehicle use, illegal drug and alcohol use, and illegal dumping that has been occurring in this area is minimized,” McDermott said in a March announcement.

Lyndsay Quist, commissioner for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said in a message to Steagall that “many alternatives were considered,” but Governors Parkway was determined to be the best option by the city of Hammond and INDOT. Steagall provided the Post-Tribune with Quist’s May 1 message.

“Regarding environmental impacts, INDOT works hard to minimize environmental impacts from its projects and often provides mitigation when impacts are unavoidable,” Quist said. “In this case, exhaustive studies of the soil were performed, and an in-depth analysis was conducted to determine if the wetlands are being affected. Trees are being removed as part of this project, but to mitigate those removals, more than $200,000 worth of trees are being added in other areas of the city.”

McDermott had previously told the Post-Tribune that the city will replant two trees for each that is torn down in Briar East Woods. Residents have expressed concerns for that strategy because new trees won’t help flooding concerns, as they aren’t as large as Briar East Woods’ oak trees and won’t be in the same location.

Quist told Steagall in her message that the project’s environmental document was recently approved and is expected to be released in a few weeks.

“While we respect your concerns about the environmental impact of this project, as stated above, much has been done to mitigate those impacts while the public has had many chances to further influence the impacts from this project,” the message said. “In addition, once constructed, this project will have a positive impact on the community and keep everyone safe.”

The Governors Parkway project is expected to start construction in summer 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027, according to Hammond’s news release.

Beginning Monday, INDOT is seeking public comment on the approved environmental assessment, according to the news release. Comments can be made by email to GovernorsParkwayProject@cmtengr.com and cannot be received prior to publication of the legal notice.

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com