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Official website for the City of Aurora, Illinois. Mayor Tom Weisner

Downer Place bridges to be replaced

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The City of Aurora is in the process of replacing the Downer Place bridges in the downtown. This information guide will help you navigate your way around the construction, find places to park and stay on top of the latest developments.

Project overview

As the structures are being torn down and replaced, traffic is being rerouted to Benton Street (refer to the detour map, below) during the construction period, which is forecasted to take about nine months.

The bridges, originally built at the turn of the 20th century, have exceeded their useful life and have been deemed structurally deficient by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Eighty percent of the construction and engineering costs, which total $7.83 million, will be federally funded. The City also received a $500,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help offset the City’s share.

The City also is planning to redesign the corner of Downer Place and Stolp Avenue, which will include installing rain gardens on all four corners of the intersection to help collect storm water and beautify the downtown. The project is being paid for in part with a $70,000 green infrastructure grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

All Downer Place businesses will remain open and several of them have rear doors for easier access from Benton Street. Businesses located on Stolp Island in downtown Aurora can be accessed from Stolp Avenue from either Galena Boulevard or Benton Street.

Project schedule

The Downer Place Bridge project is expected to take about nine months before reopening to the public. Below is a tentative timeline highlighting the scope of construction.

  • January: Temporary traffic signals were installed on Benton Street
  • February: Downer Place was closed to traffic and construction began at the beginning of the month
  • November: The bridge is expected to reopen to vehicular traffic
  • Spring 2013: Remainder of site work will be completed

Detour route

With both bridges being shut down on Downer Place, traffic is being detoured south down Broadway Avenue to Benton Street, which is designated a two-way road between Broadway and River Street throughout the construction period. Motorists can head west on Benton Street, north on River Street and then continue west on Downer Place to complete the detour. Temporary traffic lights have been installed on Benton Street at Broadway Avenue and River Street. Stop signs have been placed at the intersection of Benton Street and Stolp Avenue.

Motorists also are encouraged to use New York Street and North Avenue to bypass the Downer Place construction zone.

Detour map for Downer Place

Downtown parking

Parking for patrons of Downer Place businesses and other commercial properties on Stolp Avenue between Galena Boulevard and Benton Street is available in the Stolp Avenue deck. Motorists can access the parking garage by taking either Galena Boulevard or Benton Street to Stolp Avenue and then head to the deck’s entrance. Patrons using the deck for less than an hour will be able to park free of charge. Those parking longer than an hour will be charged the normal rate for the entire time parked in the garage. Additionally, metered street parking is permitted on the south side of Benton Street.

Updates

Residents, business owners and other community stakeholders wanting to monitor the progress of the Downer Place bridge project can find the information conveniently through several outlets.

  • WEBSITE: Visit the City’s website and click on the “Downer Place Bridge Construction” graphic and visit the Construction Updates section.
  • EMAIL UPDATES: Want to receive emails on the construction progress? No problem. Sign up online.
  • SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow the City on social media to receive updates on the Downer Place bridge construction and other community news. Visit the City’s Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter.
  • ACTV: Tune in to Aurora Community Television Ch. 10 to view updates on the scrolling news bulletin boards.
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER: Call the City’s Customer Service Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 630-256-INFO (4636).

Business Community Liaison/meetings

Have a question or want to share your thoughts on the Downer Place bridge construction project? Monthly project updates will be provided following the Aurora Downtown meetings, which are scheduled for 8 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month beginning Feb. 16 at River’s Edge Café, 18 W. Downer Place.

Also, you can contact Chris Lirot, City of Aurora project engineer, by email at clirot@aurora-il.org or by phone at 630-256-3200.

Rendering of new Downer Place bridge