Indiana and Schererville both call themselves "the crossroads of America," and with good reason.

But transportation planning in the region is working at cross-purposes. That must end.

Commuter rail supporters often are criticized by people who believe everyone should be operating a private vehicle on the roadways.

The design of the Kennedy Avenue interchange on the Borman Expressway, where flooding occurred twice in two years to shut down one of our nation's busiest stretches of interstate, has been criticized.

Proponents of new road projects like the Illiana Expressway and the widening of Porter County Road 100 South also have been vilified.

The operation of Gary/Chicago International Airport has been criticized. Millions of dollars have been poured into the airport, yet it hasn't proven itself able to attract and keep airlines offering regularly scheduled passenger service.

The Regional Bus Authority is widely seen in the region as responsible for combining the fixed-route bus systems in Gary, Hammond and East Chicago. But that's just one aspect of the agency's role.

The RBA also needs to combine the fixed-route bus services in Valparaiso and the demand-response services throughout Northwest Indiana.

The Indiana General Assembly this year must grapple with how to provide a permanent funding source for bus operations. That provides the perfect opening to remember the role of transportation in the region's economy.

Investment in infrastructure is vital in order to move people and goods in an efficient and convenient manner. That requires smart, well-informed decisions.

Thus it is time to merge Northwest Indiana's transportation -- air, rail, road, bus -- into a single agency. Transportation planning should be a coordinated effort, not the competitive struggle it has been.