The Indiana Department of Transportation has decided not to rebuild the Cline Avenue bridge in Northwest Indiana.

Instead, state officials said the plan would demolish an elevated span over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal that was permanently closed to vehicles Dec. 28. A combination of Dickey Road, Riley Road and Michigan Avenue would be used to route traffic across the canal and back to Cline Avenue.

[INDOT Chief of Staff Bob] Zier said the project’s cost would be more than $75 million. When asked about how much building another bridge would cost, he said the total would be “astronomical.”

The state expects about 2,300 jobs to be created over the next three years with this project.

Local reaction to the decision was mixed.

Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority Executive Director Bill Hanna said he believes the approach will bring substantial employment to the area.

Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., who attended Thursday’s meeting of the Cline Avenue Coalition, called INDOT’s decision a disgrace.

A new tax increment financing district has been established in Montgomery County.

The Women’s Fund of Central Indiana raised $7 million in its recent fund drive.

Nationwide, housing starts were mixed in March.