The City of Naperville’s Transportation, Engineering and Development (TED) department and the Downtown Naperville Alliance (DNA) held an open house Tuesday to showcase the final renderings of construction plans to renovate streetscapes in Downtown Naperville.
“Hosting this open house for business owners and managers and people in the community that have an interest here downtown; I think that was out first step in making sure that people had all the information necessary to understand what’s going to be happening this spring, summer and fall”, said DNA Executive Director, Danielle Tufano
The Plan
The five-phase plan will start with the renovation of Main Street between Jefferson and Jackson avenues and continue to phase two where Jefferson Avenue between Main and Webster will get the same upgrades starting in mid-May. Phase three of the plan will include renovations to Jackson and Webster, but will not require closures.
Why it’s Important to the Area
The project, which is set to start March 1, will improve pedestrian traffic by widening sidewalks, facelift the area with new landscaping and replace an outdated water main.
“It’s a huge reinvestment in our infrastructure down here. The water main on one of these streets is over 100 years old, so it’s a ticking time bomb, we need to replace it,” said Bill Novack, Director of TED.
Road Closures in Downtown Naperville
Road resurfacing and cleanup will also be part of the renovations. The construction means some detours for drivers.
“It will have a large impact on Main Street and Jefferson Street [sic] as you come to Downtown Naperville. The streets will be closed, the parking will not be available on those streets during the various phases, so from the driving perspective it will have a large impact,” Novack explained.
Business Will Remain Open
While traffic will be impacted, the Downtown Naperville Alliance assures that access to businesses will not.
“While the streets are torn up, the sidewalks will be open to get to their favorite businesses, and when they move to the sidewalks pedestrians will have access to the street with little entryways to each business. Throughout the entire process we’ll make sure that people can get in to the businesses,” Tufano said.
When Will Construction Be Over?
The majority of the renovating is expected to be finished by Labor Day. Novack said that there are cash incentives in place for construction firm R.W. Dunteman Co. to ensure timely completion of the project’s phases.
This is part of a larger anticipated streetscape project that could improve more downtown streets in the future.
Reporting for Naperville News 17, I’m Ryan Sartori
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