Miller Beach - Transportation

Transportation

Miller Beach lies near the nexus of four major interstates: 65, 80, 90, and 94, although none of them pass directly through the neighborhood. Interstate 65 reaches its northern terminus just to the west of Miller. Joined as the Borman Expressway, Interstates 80 and 94 have exits just southwest and south of Miller, at Interstate 65 and at Indiana State Road 51 in Lake Station. The Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 90) shares both the Borman's exit at State Road 51, and the Interstate 65 exit. Using the Toll Road, Miller Beach is 36 miles from downtown Chicago, with an estimated travel time of 50 minutes.

Surface highways traversing Miller Beach include U.S. 12, the earliest highway to serve the area. U.S. 20 also passes along the community's southern edge. Highways 12 and 20 connect Miller to the interstates, downtown Gary, and nearby towns of Porter County such as Portage and Chesterton. Additionally, Indiana State Road 51 has its northern terminus at U.S. 20, at Miller's the southern limit, and connect Miller Beach to communities south of the Little Calumet River, such as Lake Station and Hobart.

The all-electric commuter trains of the NICTD South Shore Line stop at Miller Station. On weekdays, Miller Station is served by 14 eastbound trains and 12 westbound trains. The South Shore Line has served the neighborhood since 1908, when the line was built as an interurban railroad by tycoon Samuel Insull.

Miller Beach is served by the Route 13 buses of the Gary Public Transportation Corporation (GPTC), which do a full circle of the neighborhood and terminate at the GPTC hub station at Gary Metro Center in downtown Gary. At the Metro Center, passengers can transfer to buses serving other parts of Gary and towns as distant as Hammond and Crown Point. The Metro Center is also served by Greyhound buses, and is the eastern terminus for many South Shore Line trains.

A 2.0-mile bicycle trail, the Marquette Greenway, runs through National Lakeshore property from downtown Miller Beach to West Beach in Porter County. Paved with fine limestone, as of 2010, the Marquette Greenway was one of only two bicycle trails within Gary. The Gary Green Links plan calls for additional trails and bikeways connecting Miller Beach to other towns and neighborhoods. As of 2011, however, the 46403 ZIP code, which chiefly encompasses Miller Beach and Aetna, has a mean Walk Score of 30 out of 100, tied for the lowest walkability in Gary.