A Naperville bridge project that has faced delays is set to be completed by mid-year.
Washington Street Bridge replacement project update
Bill Novack, Naperville’s Director of Transportation, Engineering, and Development (TED), provided an update on the Washington Street Bridge replacement project as the new year begins.
“What they’re doing while the weather’s not that good is, on good days, framing up the sidewalk, the parapet wall between the sidewalk and the roadway, and then they’ll work on the railings between this sidewalk and the river on the west side of the bridge,” said Novack.
He added once that portion is complete, they will flip traffic over to the west side, and do the same process on the east side of the bridge.
“Once the weather breaks in the spring, they’ll be able to finish the concrete and asphalt paving that they’ve got to do on the approaches that come up into there,” said Novack.
What are the next steps towards completion?
The Washington Street Bridge replacement project began in the spring of 2023, with phase two of four starting in the spring of 2024. Novack said the phases of the project are now slightly off but outlined the next steps once the current tasks are finished. This includes:
- Complete the retaining wall at the northwest corner of the bridge.
- Install the top two inches of concrete on the roadway portion of the bridge.
- Complete the concrete approach pavements leading to the bridge.
- Complete the asphalt paving on Washington Street and Aurora Avenue.
- Conduct cleanup and final restoration of the work area.
Though the project missed the expected completion date of late summer or fall of 2024 due to delays, Novack said it should be completed this year.
“I think they’ll be done sometime in May or early June of 2025, they’ll be done and out of there,” said Novack.
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