Everything to know about the Dubuque St. construction in downtown Iowa City

Vehicle traffic along portions of Dubuque Street is being re-routed for nearly six months as construction crews start work on a significant downtown project.

Dubuque Street will be closed between Iowa Ave. and Washington St. through August for a project to replace sewer lines, the roadway, and sidewalks.

The Dubuque Street Reconstruction project is just one of 12 projects planned over the next years to help improve the Iowa City corridor.

The Dubuque Street project is anticipated to be fully completed by Sept. 20.

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Improving the downtown corridor

The project will update public infrastructure with a new 12-inch water main, a new sanitary sewer and storm sewer system, and a new pedestrian sidewalk, roadway, and street lighting.

Iowa City Senior Civil Engineer Alin Dumachi, said the updates are important and preventive.

"The water main is old, and it's functioning right now. It is better to fix it now than wait for it to break and have to be repaired," Dumachi said. "Emergency water breaks require last-minute repairs and are very expensive, and, again, they disrupt services and vehicle traffic for a significant amount of time, as it happened in previous years on Washington Street before Washington Street's construction in 2017."

The Dubuque St. construction is part of the downtown streetscape master plan and is anticipated to last a minimum 10 years. The first project was along Washington Street in 2017, followed by a Ped Mall renovation in 2019. The same construction company that worked on these previous projects, Portzen Construction, Inc., will also be handling the Dubuque St. project.

"The downtown streetscape master plan is part of a bigger vision to transform and modernize downtown Iowa City," Dumachi said. "We are making it more pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, and modern."

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Foot traffic will be allowed during construction

While vehicle traffic will be prohibited on Dubuque Street until August, pedestrian traffic is still allowed, giving shoppers access to popular storefronts like Prairie Lights Books and Raygun and Iowa City nightlife staples Deadwood and Sports Column.

Sidewalks and curb ramps will also be updated, the first major pedestrian renovation along Dubuqe Street since the 1980s. The project will make sidewalks and curb ramps ADA accessible. The project also includes plans to beautify the roadway with planters and limestone blocks while also incorporating bicycle racks, litter receptacles and a wayfinding kiosk.

The City is committed to maintaining pedestrian access to businesses during construction. To minimize the impact, they plan to work closely with area businesses to coordinate when sidewalk work can be completed.

The project will be mostly finished in August, with car traffic expected to return on Aug. 23.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Dubuque St. construction in downtown Iowa City: What to know