Mayor Tom McDermott at the February 10 city council meeting

Case closed - Hammond ready to build railroad overpass in Hessville

Contributed By: The 411 News

Taking a page from a protester’s handbook, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott and the Hammond City Council set the scene for the final curtain on the controversy brewing from the city’s plan to build a railroad overpass bridge in the city’s Hessville neighborhood.

On the agenda at Monday night’s city council meeting was Resolution 25R-03, sponsored by Mayor McDermott, in support of the Governors Parkway Railroad Overpass Project. The city council meeting drew hundreds of supporters and foes of the project to city hall.

Opponents of the railroad overpass have grown since the project was announced in 2017. Rallying behind the banner “Save the Briar East Woods,” the Hessville Dune Dusters argue the city will destroy a valuable natural habitat and a popular recreational resource for Hammond residents.

They have packed city council meetings and organized marches and protests. The group has recruited volunteers for regular cleanups and maintenance in Briar East Woods, 32 acres of wooded sand hills that meander between 169th Street and Parrish Avenue and 173rd Street and Grand Avenue.

As it turned out, the Hessville Dune Dusters and their supporters could not get into the council chamber. Those arriving as early as 5:30pm for the 6pm meeting start time were surprised to learn the chamber had reached capacity.

They were directed to the basement overflow room where they could view the council meeting via Zoom. That small room soon reached capacity and the crowd filled the basement hall.

The advocates to save Briar East had been outnumbered and outmaneuvered. In the seats they had expected to occupy in the council chamber were supporters of the overpass bridge, many wearing construction safety vests.

The large number of supporters was a welcome sight to Mayor McDermott. “They’ve been here since 4:30. There's literally hundreds of people behind me, and there's more people out in the hallway trying to get in right now,” the mayor told the council.

“I know the council over the last couple months has been seeing green shirts out there,” Mayor McDermott said. (He was referring to the Hessville Dune Dusters who wear green t-shirts imprinted with “Save the Briar East Woods” at council meetings.) “It was looking like they're the only ones that ever talked about the Governors Parkway Bridge. There's a resolution before you today, and today we have a lot of supporters packed in the council chamber.”

When Councilman Scott Rakos read the resolution, he put on his construction safety vest.

The journey has been 8 years, Mayor McDermott said. “We've approached the council numerous times. We've approached the public numerous times, just like right now. This is not required by law. This resolution is like a final check to make sure we're all on the same page. Because once you're in, we're sending it straight to the Indiana Dept. of Transportation.”

Councilwoman Janet Venecz put it more bluntly. “We just got sucked into their conversation. We passed an ordinance on September 27, 2021 to move forward with this. For years, we have listened to all the reasons why the group is in opposition to this bridge. Case closed. The only reason for this resolution tonight is to make absolutely clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we passed the ordinance back in 2021. Let’s vote.”

Resolution 25R-03 was approved unanimously.

Down in the basement, Ken Rosek, an organizer of the Hessville Dune Dusters chatted with supporters. “This is the 3rd time the mayor wouldn’t let us speak,” Rosek said. “He deleted 76 people at the Common Council meeting 3 weeks ago. He wouldn’t let us speak at the Mayor’s Night Out, and now. He has been blocking us from our free speech. Please get involved everybody and stay tuned.”

After the vote, when the supporters and mayor departed, opponents of the railroad overpass were let in to address the council.

The Hammond Republican Party called Monday night’s meeting “a coordinated display of political thuggery. Councilman Woerpel and Mayor McDermott packed the council chamber with city employees and contractors, denying resident access to the meeting.”

Story Posted:02/12/2025