EAST CHICAGO | Construction of a long-awaited overpass across the busy railroad tracks that bisect the city is scheduled to begin this summer.

After 14 months of work, four lanes of Railroad Avenue will open for traffic above the CSX Rail Road tracks just north of Chicago Avenue, said Keith Blanton, senior project engineer with Indianapolis-based consultant RQAW.

Though the Indiana Department of Transportation ultimately controls the timing of the project, Blanton told the Board of Public Works and Safety to expect completion in November 2011.

The overpass would be the only nongrade crossing of the double CSX line anywhere in East Chicago or Hammond.

Once construction begins, Railroad Avenue will be closed between Chicago Avenue and 145th Street, Blanton said.

Since 2008, city water mains, NIPSCO gas and electric lines, telephone service and a Bucko Pipelines petroleum line have been relocated for the overpass.

East Chicago is being assisted with the estimated $9 million cost of the project by a $1 million legal settlement from CSX over years of blocked streets, $6.5 million in federal highway funding, and other transportation grants.

The overpass work will be coordinated with an upgrade to Columbus Drive between Main Street and Cline Avenue, and resurfacing of Kennedy Avenue from 149th Street to Michigan Avenue, City Engineer Jesse Rodriguez said.

Those projects are funded entirely through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Rodriguez said.