Monday will bring new driving delays in St. Charles

Drivers who travel through St. Charles for part of their commute will have two new obstacles on major routes to navigate Monday.

First, the Illinois Street Bridge will be closed to all traffic from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. between First Street and Riverside Avenue. City public works staff will be performing storm sewer maintenance during those hours. There will be signs at either end of the bridge to notify motorists of exactly when the bridge is closed and reopened.

Businesses located in the Fox Island Square property will remain open and be accessible during the construction work.

The second new obstacle will cause a much longer disruption.

Illinois Department of Transportation construction work will begin Monday on Route 31. The work will cause the road to narrow down to one lane from south of Crane Road to Ferson Creek Road. Only one direction of traffic will be able to flow down Route 31 at a time. Temporary traffic signals at either end of the closure, and side streets that branch off the route, will regulate traffic flow for the duration of the construction work.

The state project involves replacement of the culvert under the roadway at Ferson Creek and a widening and resurfacing of the road. The work will mean the roadway will remain one lane through summer.