Town of Normal to continue resurfacing project on Willow

It has been almost a year since the Town of Normal started its resurfacing project.

The program aims to improve driving conditions and address safety and infrastructure needs.

Town Engineer Zachary Wall mentioned when the planned due date is.

“They do plan on getting Willow Street done here by mid-November,” Wall said. “The larger general resurfacing project will continue next spring and hopefully finish {by} late spring.”

He also talked about what construction crews have done to increase pedestrian safety.

“We added some pedestrian refuge islands at the crossing of Normal Avenue and Willow”, Wall said. “That was a location that was kind of a hotspot that students pointed out as a hard section to cross there. So we studied it and added these pedestrian refuge islands where students can cross one lane and then kind of rest in the island if they need to look the other way and cross, so we got those done.”

The Town of Normal is also looking to get Constitution Trail wrapped up soon.

“We are working on a similar kind of crossing enhancement at the Constitution Trail crossing on Willow,” Wall said. “It’ll be a raised crosswalk, so it kind of raises attention to the drivers that there’s a trail crossing marinate and it forces them to slow down. The trail crossing is almost done, and so they’re looking to put the last layer of asphalt in, possibly tomorrow actually.”

For the Town of Normal, the plan is to keep the project going once everything on Willow is finished.

Even though construction is expected to be done by mid-2027, Wall still wants to be on top of things.

“There’s a whole list of streets that are part of this project,” Wall said. “We are currently only {doing} Willow and part of West College Avenue up by White Oak Road. There’s a whole list of roads that they’ll start and finish in spring, and those are mostly more residential streets.”

Drivers are encouraged to look out for pedestrians in the updated crosswalks.