Downtown Naperville’s Washington Street Bridge has been around for over 100 years, so it’s no wonder the city wants to give it a makeover.
This was the first of two public hearings held at City Hall for residents to give their thoughts on the bridge project.
“I think we will get lots and lots of good comments. We dropped off a letter to all the business owners who are all very excited. They’re already telling us what they’re thinking, even if they have certain concerns, which are good concerns,” said Yifang Lu, the project engineer for bridge construction.
Being located in a busy part of downtown, the focus of bridge construction will be on pedestrian improvements, design features, and traffic enhancements.
The Riverwalk crossing underneath the bridge will also be improved.
“The planning of the project is going to take a year or two,” said Bob Kozurek, the Deputy City Engineer for Naperville. “We’ve identified 2019 will probably be the year of construction. So between then and now we’re going to work on funding the project.”
The second public hearing for the project will take place in either May or June.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.