A road on an old shoreline
Ridge Road runs along something older than any road in the region. Munster sits on the Calumet Shoreline, a sand ridge left by glacial Lake Chicago, the larger and higher lake that came before today’s Lake Michigan. Long before there was a town, people traveled the dry, sandy ridge on foot because it stayed above the wet ground around it.
You can feel that height in Highland, where Ridge Road runs along the highest land in town. The lower neighborhoods away from it have flooded from the Little Calumet River in the past; the ridge stayed dry.
From Munster to Hobart
The road used to carry US 6. When US 6 moved to the Borman Expressway, the Ridge Road route became US 6 Business, running from Lansing, Illinois through Munster, Highland, Griffith, the southern part of Gary and into Hobart, where it was marked 37th Avenue and ended at US 6, State Road 51 and State Road 130.
Along the way:
- Munster keeps its downtown, Town Hall, police and fire headquarters and post office on Ridge Road.
- Highland meets it at Indianapolis Boulevard.
- Griffith is where Cline Avenue comes to an end, one mile south of the Borman.
- Gary crosses it at Broadway, where there’s a traffic light at what’s still called old US 6.
- Hobart carries the route as 37th Avenue.
Pickup notes for Ridge Road
Ridge Road passes storefronts, houses and apartment lots. For a smooth pickup:
- Use the cross street. Calumet Avenue, Indianapolis Boulevard, Cline Avenue, Broadway: whichever is closest.
- Say if the car is behind a business. Some Ridge Road properties have parking behind the building; tell us how to get back there.
- Low spots after rain: if the car sits on grass or a gravel pad that turns soft, mention it. The truck may need to stay on the pavement and pull the car to it.
What we buy along Ridge Road
Cars that don’t run, cars with body or frame damage, cars that leak, and cars without a title in hand. Missing the title? We can still help. In Indiana the sale needs either the title or a BMV certificate of authority; tell us what papers you have and we’ll point you to the right one on the call. Towing is free, and we can often pick up the same day.
For the lakefront towns, Merrillville and Lake Station, start from the rest of our Northwest Indiana area.