After years of sitting empty at one of Naperville’s busiest crossroads, that long-vacant triangular lot on Washington Street is finally getting its moment. Construction crews kicked off work the week of May 25 on what will become North Central College Riverwalk Park, a roughly 0.4-acre gateway between downtown Naperville and the college. The pocket park is designed to close a key break in the Riverwalk and give pedestrians an accessible route between the Washington Street bridge and the Moser Covered Bridge. City and college officials say they are aiming to open the site to the public by the end of October.
The project is a collaboration between the City of Naperville, North Central College and the Naperville Park District. The plan is to convert the college-owned parcel into public Riverwalk space, with barrier-free paths, new seating, native plantings and an illuminated archway at the street entrance, according to the City of Naperville.
What’s Being Built
North Central College will install plaques and two plazas that spotlight the school’s athletic and academic milestones, while the city will build the archway foundation and provide electric service for the monument sign, according to local reporting and council materials. “We are grateful to the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District for sharing our vision to enhance the Riverwalk and strengthen the College’s connection to and visibility within Downtown Naperville,” North Central President Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá said in a joint release. The project will also bring in ADA-compliant ramps, benches and native landscaping to improve access and views along this stretch of the DuPage River, as reported by the Daily Herald.
Funding And Timeline
City documents list the park’s estimated construction cost at about $2.1 million, with $1.3 million coming from state grants and the remainder covered by the City’s Capital Project Fund. The City Council awarded the construction contract in mid-May, and crews moved in with excavation work the week of May 25. Barring bad weather or other surprises, the park is scheduled to open by the end of October, according to city project documents.
Why It Matters
The North Central park is one of roughly a dozen projects in Naperville’s Riverwalk 2031 master plan, an effort to refresh and reconnect riverfront segments ahead of the city’s milestone anniversaries. Officials say this new gateway space is expected to pair with a planned south extension to create a continuous pedestrian route between the Edward Hospital campus and downtown, according to reporting by the Daily Herald. For additional background on the college’s planning and how the site fits into broader land-use goals, see North Central’s 2024 Master Land Use Plan, which the college adopted and the city incorporated into its comprehensive plan, according to North Central College.
