Three bridges spanning the Little Calumet River are being scrutinized to determine their role in remedying future flooding, and an interim report is expected to be presented in mid-August.

Sponsored by the Lake County Highway Department, the $60,000 study is being conducted by DLZ, a Midwest firm specializing in architectural, engineering and environmental projects.

The Northcote Avenue bridge has been the center of controversy since the Little Calumet River flooded Munster neighborhoods last September. Residents of the town's Wicker Park Estates neighborhood repeatedly have spoken at Munster Town Council meetings asking for action to close or reconstruct the bridge.

But if the study finds the Northcote bridge needs to be rebuilt, no federal funds are available because the bridge is in good structural shape, said Duane Alverson, county highway engineer. A "sufficiency rating" is done on bridges in the county's jurisdiction every two years.

"The Northcote bridge has a sufficiency rating of 87.6 out of 100. It's in good shape," Alverson said. "I cannot get federal funds to replace that bridge. We have to go after another source of federal funding."

The study focuses on the Northcote bridge between Munster and Hammond, the Kennedy Avenue bridge between Hammond and Highland and the Harrison Avenue bridge in Gary. The cost of studying each bridge is about $20,000, Alverson said.

Lake County will cover most of the study's costs. Munster and Hammond each will pay 5 percent of the cost of studying the Northcote bridge, or about $1,000 per municipality, Alverson said.

The Munster Town Council recently approved $3,750 for the town's share of the study.

Alverson and James Mandon, Munster's town engineer, said the study is the first step in deciding what needs to be done. Any work on the bridge would be coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, which is working to complete levees designed to prevent future flooding.

The study will look at various options for the bridges, including raising them or constructing a flood wall to "box in the river," Mandon said. The bridge might also be realigned with streets on the Munster side.

"The Northcote bridge comes into Munster at a T-intersection," he said.

The study also will look at options beyond sandbagging for closing the Northcote bridge during flooding, Mandon said. DLZ has experience with that kind of work along the Ohio River, Alverson said.

Three other bridges link Hammond and Munster over the Little Calumet, Mandon said. The Hohman Avenue bridge is already above flood protection grade. The Calumet Avenue bridge is slightly below the flood protection standard but less subject to flooding. And the Columbia Avenue bridge already is scheduled for reconstruction in 2010.