PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 21, No. 19, May 2, 2002

Construction in Campustown continues on schedule

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
(217) 244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Photo by Bill Wiegand Campustown facelift Construction crews continue their work on Green Street, reducing it from two lanes to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane. Portions of Green Street will remain closed to vehicular traffic until July or August when new traffic lights have been installed and are operational, city officials said.

Street reconstruction in campustown is a little ahead of schedule although much remains to be done, Champaign city officials reported at an April 24 progress meeting.

The current phase of the $5.5 million construction project is about one-third done, with Aug. 23 as the target date for completion, Louis Braghini, project manager for the city of Champaign, said at the meeting.

Street paving has been completed in the 600 block of Green Street and should be finished soon in the 500 block. Crews are now installing storm sewers in the 300 and 400 blocks of Green Street.

However, portions of Green Street will remain closed to vehicular traffic until traffic lights have been installed and are operational, which will be well into July or August, said Rick Marley, assistant city engineer.

When construction is complete, Green Street will become one lane in each direction with a center turn lane.

Braghini said construction crews and city officials are doing their best to move the project along quickly and minimize the economic impact on Campustown businesses.

Photo by Bill Wiegand Making progress Much underground work remains to be done on Green Street, such as reconstruction of storm and sanitary sewers. The current phase of the reconstruction and streetscape project should be "substantially complete" by Aug. 23.

The changes in traffic circulation patterns on Campustown streets have prompted some complaints from motorists about congestion at the Pennsylvania Avenue-Sixth Street intersection and about the difficulty of northbound egress since Wright Street was closed to automobile traffic between Daniel and Green streets.

Acknowledging that the new traffic circulation plan can be inconvenient for motorists trying to travel north out of campus, Marley said the traffic pattern is specifically designed to enhance pedestrian safety by diverting automobiles away from high-volume pedestrian areas.

On May 1, university officials formally requested that Champaign-Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUATS) officials examine how the intersections at Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street and Armory Avenue have been affected by the new circulation plan, said Gary Biehl, management engineer, UI Operation and Maintenance.

In late May, the city expects to receive approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation for planned improvements at the Wright Street-Springfield Avenue intersection, which will facilitate two-way bus traffic on Wright Street north of Healey Street. Construction is expected to begin in July and be finished by the end of 2002.

In spring 2003, work will begin on the north-south Campustown streets.

Seasoned Campustown motorists may not be surprised to learn that pedestrians are causing headaches for the project’s construction crews. Wayward walkers are frequently circumnavigating construction barricades and tramping through freshly poured concrete, city officials said.

"As we all know, students walk wherever they want to, and that’s happened to us many times," Braghini said.