Riverwalk staircase, sidewalks taking shape

Renovations to Naperville's Riverwalk are taking shape, overcoming some small setbacks along the way.

In the latest round of rehab, crews are enhancing pedestrian areas and a staircase. Scuba divers this week also are scheduled to take out a cofferdam they'll no longer need.

"I think it's going pretty well and I know we'd like to get this finished as quickly as possible," Riverwalk Administrator Jan Erickson said Monday.

Work began in February on the $1.44 million project to rejuvenate the original stretch of the Riverwalk between Eagle and Main streets.

The grand staircase under construction is east of the Webster Street bridge and will connect the Dandelion Fountain to the low-flow walkway. Just north of the fountain, crews are working on a bump-out sidewalk for added safety.

Also this week, scuba divers are removing the cofferdam they put in place over the winter in order to reconstruct the bulkhead wall from the 1930s that supports the lower walkway.

The rehabilitation project also will include enhancing Veteran's Plaza, widening the lower walkway and making it handicapped accessible, combining two narrow walkways into a Grand Promenade and widening the sidewalk along Jackson Avenue, replacing it with brick pavers.

The project already has hit its share of snags along the way ˆ­- snow delays, deeper bedrock than anticipated, a small amount of gasoline in the soil and incorrect materials sent to the site. But each of those has since been taken care of and work is moving along, Erickson said.

Construction on the current piece of the project is scheduled to end in early August. The Webster Street bridge will be closed on and off until that time.

Although Riverwalk visitors have a few extra obstacles in the meantime, Erickson said there has been community support for the project.

"There's been a lot of inquiry, a lot of curiosity about what we're doing down there, what's happening," she said. "Once the project is explained to whoever is questioning, it's always been a lot of support and interest and excitement about getting it open to see what new the Riverwalk will look like in that section."

Another segment of work could begin this fall. Erickson said she is waiting on permits from DuPage County, which will be followed by engineering and design work.