HAMMOND | Woodmar Avenue residents soon may see some relief from the flooding that has overwhelmed the neighborhood in recent years.

City Engineer Stan Dostatni on Tuesday said a pipe under the Borman Expressway at Indianapolis Boulevard will be equipped with a special flapgate to control the flow of water during a rainstorm.

During the last major storm, water from the pipe backflowed into the neighborhood because of the water pressure from the south, he said.

In addition to installing the flapgate, the area on the south side of the Borman at Woodmar Avenue continues to be sandbagged.

"It may not be the permanent solution, but in the short-term, it's a good idea," he said.

A solution to the flooding at Woodmar Avenue was among several issues discussed Thursday when Dostatni met with representatives of Earth Tech Inc., the consultant firm hired by the Indiana Department of Transportation to find the causes of August's massive flood on the Borman. Also present were Sanitary District Manager Michael Unger and Sewer Department Superintendent Scott Mitchell.

As far as the state's study goes, the flooding at Woodmar is the most critical issue for the city, Dostatni said.

"It was mostly information-gathering," he said of Thursday's meeting. "We gave them historical data, GIS information, information about the elevation of the river."

Dostatni said he also provided information about the city's pump stations though he believed only one may have any effect on the Borman.

He was told the Borman is under review from Cline Avenue to Calumet Avenue, Dostatni said.

Also on Thursday, at a meeting of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, it was announced INDOT has set aside $250,000 for preliminary engineering work on a solution to the flooding on the Borman.

The money can be used as soon as Earth Tech comes up with a solution, according to Dan Gardner, executive director of the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission.

"They are serious about trying to cut time on this project," Gardner said.

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said the city will work closely with INDOT on any solution Earth Tech comes up with.

Times staff writer Keith Benman contributed to this report.