IOWA CITY — Nearly three months after the start of a Dubuque Street reconstruction project in Iowa City, local businesses are persevering through dust, rumbling equipment, and decreased foot traffic.
The project, which began March 11 and is expected to last until September, will replace the sidewalks and street on Dubuque Street, between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street, as well as the alley between Dubuque and Linn streets, according to the city’s website.
Public and private utility lines also will be upgraded, including water mains and sanitary and storm sewers. Beautification features like lighting, plants and a wayfinding kiosk will be added.
Currently, the focus of the project is on underground components, Alin Dumachi, senior civil engineer for the city, said. In the next couple weeks, water services and storm sewers should be completed, he said.
By mid-June, it is anticipated that the concrete for the street will be poured, followed by pavement for the sidewalks in early July, Dumachi said.
The project is sticking to the estimated timeline despite several recent rainy days in the Iowa City area, but Dumachi said it is too early to tell if the weather will cause any delays in the near future.
“As of right now, we are on schedule, but hopefully we won’t get two or three rainy days every week,” Dumachi said. “We should be able to complete this project on time.”
Dubuque Street businesses to remain open
Even when the sidewalks in front of businesses along Dubuque Street are under construction, no business will have to close its doors to the public at any time during the project, Dumachi said.
This is because the concrete for the street will be poured before the sidewalks, which will allow pedestrians to walk along a designated pathway to get into businesses while sidewalks are being constructed, he said.
This situation may sound familiar to some residents of Iowa City as this is similar to what was done during the Washington Street reconstruction project in 2016.
While the situation is not ideal, businesses along Dubuque Street have not reported any major issues stemming from the project.
Jan Weismiller, owner of Prairie Lights Books at 15 S Dubuque St., said the only issues her business has encountered since March was a gas leak that was resolved within an hour and some increased dust.
Business has been a bit slower than normal, though, and may get worse when the sidewalk work begins, she said.
“Obviously we're having a little bit of a slower time than we normally would,” Weismiller said. “I thought that it could have been worse, but we don't know how bad it will be when they start putting up little planks to get in.”
Weismiller said Prairie Lights Books is probably spared from some ill effects of the project because it’s not a restaurant and doesn’t have to worry about outdoor seating.
Brieanna Hastings, the general manager of Micky’s Irish Pub at 11 S Dubuque St., said the restaurant will not have any patio seating this summer, but will be building a permanent patio once construction is complete.
Hastings also reported slower business and increased dust and noise. While restaurant traffic usually slows down in the first few weeks after the University of Iowa spring semester ends, business has been even slower than normal for this time, she said.
One thing both Hastings and Weismiller said they appreciate during this time is the communication from the city and construction crew.
Businesses report receiving weekly updates on the project from the city and the contractor. There also are weekly meetings on Fridays at 10 a.m. at the Iowa City Public Library. These meetings are open to the public so everyone can stay informed about progress on the project, Dumachi said.
While the road to the end of construction may be rough at times, Hastings said she believes the end product will be worth it and may even help with business.
“They’re trying to put more parking out front and just make it look nicer and easier to move around,” Hastings said. “In the end, it will be beneficial.”
Downtown summer events impacted
Downtown Iowa City is often the gathering place for summer festivals and events, including the Downtown Block Party hosted by the Iowa City Downtown District.
This year will mark the seventh annual Block Party, which takes up around 14 blocks of downtown Iowa City to feature food, drinks, music and activities such as silent disco and pickleball tournaments.
With this year’s Block Party on June 22 being close to Dubuque Street, some things may have to change a bit to avoid the construction.
The biggest change will be moving the silent disco — which is usually held on Dubuque Street — to Iowa Avenue, Katie Carpenter, the downtown district’s director of special events, said.
Any other events that take place on Dubuque Street are planned to be moved elsewhere, Carpenter said.
For example, the annual sidewalk sales, when downtown businesses create pop-up shops on the sidewalks outside their buildings, will have to look a bit different for retailers along Dubuque Street.
During the sidewalk sales July 18-21, Dubuque Street businesses are encouraged to set up shop in the Black Hawk Mini Park in the Pedestrian Mall, Carpenter said.
Other than a few changes, the planning for summer events in the downtown area has not been bogged down by the Dubuque Street project, Carpenter said.
“We are constantly keeping in touch with those Dubuque Street businesses, and so that gives us a nice opportunity to just keep everyone informed, to make alternate plans if necessary,” Carpenter said. “It's been pretty smooth sailing thus far.”
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