Walsh and Kelly Construction Co. in Griffith received the first contract in connection with the Cline Avenue traffic overhaul.

The company was the low bidder at $927,922.95 to resurface the Michigan Avenue ramp to Cline Avenue in East Chicago, east of where the road is closed.

The Indiana Department of Transportation said in a Wednesday statement the contract calls for milling the concrete surface of the ramp from Michigan Avenue to southbound Cline Avenue and place four inches of new asphalt in place. 

Michigan Avenue from Dickey Road, including the approaches to the intersection, to Block Avenue will also be patched and resurfaced with an asphalt overlay. 

A temporary ramp from Michigan Avenue to Cline Avenue just north of the existing ramp will be constructed as part of this project. Once the temporary ramp is built, traffic will use the newly constructed ramp while crews resurface the existing ramp.

Once the construction and resurface work is completed, INDOT plans to keep the temporary ramp in place to help alleviate local traffic congestion. The temporary ramp will be for passenger vehicle traffic and the rehabilitated existing ramp will be dedicated to truck traffic.

Work is expected to start next month and Aug. 25 is the target completion date. The ramp work will take place between 6:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. to lessen the impact on traffic, especially during shift changes at businesses in the area and rush hour traffic. The contractor will accrue damages if work is done outside that time frame.

INDOT said it will announce details of the construction start date and lane restrictions once the preconstruction meeting with the contractor happens.