Commuters who frequent West Stevens Street will need to adjust their travel plans starting this Friday. According to a city announcement, a stretch of the street from Hughes Street to South Willow Avenue will be out of bounds for through traffic starting at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays. Access will be maintained for residents and property owners on West Stevens Street during the closure period.
The temporary closure is part of the West Stevens Street Improvement Project aiming to widen the thoroughfare and enhance its infrastructure with new sidewalks, streetlights, and utility poles. A center turn lane is also in the works for the intersection at South Willow Avenue. Despite the street reopening late in the afternoon each day, city officials urge travelers to find alternate routes when possible.
Hughes Street will remain accessible and offer a detour between West Jackson Street and South Willow Avenue, hitting all the side streets that West Stevens Street normally connects with. However, the access road behind Jackson Plaza won't be available as it too will be sealed off for the construction's duration. The current work is just Phase I of the infrastructural update, indicating more changes to come as progress unfolds.
The city has not detailed how long this particular phase of construction will last.
