Since the Cline Avenue bridge closed, affected businesses and communities have been working together to address the disruption of traffic along the corridor and provide input to the Indiana Department of Transportation on a suitable replacement. To be sure, Cline Avenue is a near-term problem that requires an immediate fix. It's also a rare occasion to think longer-term about a "new Cline" that could serve as a catalyst in the economic recovery of the region.

Cline's closure came out of the blue, a crisis to be solved to keep lakefront casinos and industry healthy. Yet it's also an unprecedented opportunity to improve connections between Illinois and Indiana, reinforce local and regional development goals, and generate economic benefits.

A new solution should incorporate the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority's initiatives that support community reinvestment plans, Gary/Chicago International Airport and more robust transit service between Northwest Indiana and downtown Chicago. It should be integrated with the planned high-speed rail corridor from Chicago to Detroit, which will parallel Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline. The solution should contribute to ongoing efforts to alleviate freight bottlenecks on local roads and rail lines, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment and public health.

The new vision must support and/or connect to all modes of transportation, including cars and trucks, public transportation, bicycles and pedestrians.

And while Cline once functioned as a development barrier between communities and Lake Michigan, its replacement should increase access to the lakefront to benefit local residents and the entire region.

Cline's replacement can create a continuous connection between communities in Indiana and Illinois, and support housing development, community revitalization, and local business. Northwest Indiana is an integral part of the greater metropolitan region, but unfortunately, most Chicagoans and suburbanites only experience Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Gary and other local communities through the windows of their cars, as they speed along the Skyway or Borman headed to Michiana and beyond. Not only does this fail the return-on-investment test, but it wastes real opportunities to strengthen communities on both sides of the border.

Put another way, the pay-off of investing in a new Cline cannot simply be getting people where they need to go faster. The Cline Avenue bridge failure should be seen as an opportunity to reinforce existing redevelopment goals -- and to set a vision for sustainable growth that makes Northwest Indiana much more than just the crossroads of a region.

Kristi DeLaurentiis is manager of local government and community relations for the Metropolitan Planning Council, a nonprofit dedicated to shaping a more sustainable and prosperous greater Chicago region. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.