State Street Construction Continues In Lockport

LOCKPORT, IL – The city of Lockport’s State Street construction project is progressing, and construction crews have completed the sidewalk, curb, water main, and on-street parking on the west side of State Street and are moving to the east side on Friday, Sept. 21. The city said the roadwork phase of the project is on schedule to be completed in late November of this year.

“We’re very excited to continue moving forward on this project, which will improve safety for drivers and pedestrians in the Downtown Historic District,” City Administrator Ben Benson said in a release. “We’re grateful to our local business community for their understanding and patience, and we’re thankful to our residents for their support.”

The switch to the east side of State marks the beginning of state 2 of construction. During this phase of the project, the contractor D Construction will perform similar work to that which was performed on the west side during stage 1, including installing sidewalk, curb, and water main, now on the east side, they city said.

The city is currently considering allowing D Construction to extend their construction hours, in an effort to minimize the impact of the length of the project. The current construction hours are between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The proposed hours include overnight construction from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday (no overnight work Sunday night into Monday).

The city said the extended hours would not affect the cost of the project. Lockport is currently seeking input from the business community regarding the contractor’s request.

The State Street project, overseen by IDOT, began in early 2018 and focuses on alleviating traffic congestion and implementing safety improvements at the intersection of State Street and Ninth Street. According to the city, improvements being made throughout the project include: new left turn lanes onto State Street, bump-outs at the intersection of State and Ninth to calm traffic, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks and crossings, reconstructed on-street parking, traffic signal replacement, and utility relocations and water main replacements

The city of Lockport's portion of the project includes streetscape and beautification, designed to provide a sense of community and pride in the downtown district, the city said. Streetscape is being installed concurrently with IDOT construction. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2019. Features of the streetscape include: new landscaping, decorative paving, public gathering spaces and increase walkability.

“This project presented a great opportunity for us to revitalize Lockport’s historic downtown and will help us attract visitors and businesses to the City,” Benson said. “We’re proud of the changes we’re making and can’t wait for our residents to experience and enjoy the beautified downtown.”

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