Downtown Naperville roadwork starts Monday
As summer unofficially ends, construction season is beginning on Washington Street through downtown Naperville.
A 1.2-mile stretch of the road from Osler Drive to School Street will be repaved and re-striped beginning Monday in an $800,000 project that's expected to last roughly six weeks.
The project on the main north/south thoroughfare through downtown Naperville is beginning three weeks after a two-year, nearly $90 million project began to widen and resurface another busy north/south roadway: Route 59 on the city's west side.
Deteriorated curbs and sidewalks on Washington will be fixed as crews also make improvements to meet regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA accessibility improvements will be made where Washington intersects with School Street, Jefferson Avenue, Hillside Road and Martin Avenue.
The well-traveled stretch of Washington Street has not been repaved for 13 years, city spokeswoman Alison Albrecht said. But once work is complete, she said drivers will find a smoother surface and downtown visitors will notice improved aesthetics.
The roadwork may not come at the best time for B Happy Cafe and Eggs, Inc. Cafe, which recently opened on Washington between Jefferson and Jackson avenues, or for Naperville General Store, which aims to open there in mid-September, said Katie Wood, executive director of Downtown Naperville Alliance. Wood called the construction “a pretty significant repaving project.”
“In slower-going traffic, maybe you can pull over and have a yogurt or scrambled eggs,” she said.
Albrecht said city staff members have been “very actively working with the new businesses” and established shops to keep them informed about the project, which crews will aim to complete as quickly as possible.
Washington will remain open in both directions during the road work, but Albrecht said lane closures will be required.
Flaggers will direct traffic while work is going on during the day and in off-hours as necessary. Parking will be prohibited throughout the entire construction zone to maintain a safe work environment and help keep traffic flowing in both directions when lane closures are in place.
The work on Washington Street is part of the city's $9.3 million roadway resurfacing program.
It follows work done in 2012 to repave a stretch of Washington from Fifth Avenue under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks to School Street.