March will see three Rochelle construction projects in the downtown area ramp up, and two of the three will continue until the end of 2026, Interim City Manager and City Engineer Sam Tesreau said Wednesday.

The projects include a new restrooms, stage and storage structure on the north end of the city’s Main Street parking lot and reconstruction of the rest of the parking lot, undergrounding of overhead utilities in the alley between Lincoln Highway and Main Street from Sixth Avenue to Fourth Avenue, and a Fourth Avenue storm sewer project from Main Street to between Lincoln Highway and Sixth Street.

The construction will result in alley and lane closures and parking changes, and the city outlined plans in a Feb. 20 release and will make updates every 1-2 weeks for the duration of the work. The temporary changes will include the 400 block of Lincoln Highway temporarily becoming a one-way street with added diagonal parking on the east side of the block to add another 17 parking stalls while the Main Street lots and alley are closed and the storm sewer project is underway.

Signs will be placed to share project updates and parking information with anyone visiting downtown Rochelle and signs will have QR codes that will direct visitors to a page on the city website dedicated to construction updates and as a business directory.

“We’ll do whatever we can to add parking to make this inconvenient project as convenient as possible for the business owners,” City Public Works Director Tim Isley said.

The utility undergrounding work in the alley behind Lincoln Highway businesses began in late February. Excavation for the footings of the stage structure will begin the week of March 2. The Fourth Avenue storm sewer work will start sometime in March.

The storm sewer project will pick up a project that the city left off four years and will complete a portion that is more than 80 years old and provide for more efficient flow during rainfall events, Tesreau said. That project will cost about $390,000.

Tesrau said the storm sewer work will take about a month and at least one lane closure on the south side of Fourth Avenue is anticipated during construction, along with potential other intermittent closures.

“We’ll be upsizing that system to help more efficient flow of stormwater runoff,” Tesreau said. “The downtown area is impervious. With little green space downtown, it really doesn’t allow for runoff to soak in. There have been some flooding issues during isolated events due to the ability to get stormwater out of the downtown area and to the Kyle Creek.”

The stage and public restrooms structure is part of a $3,127,095 second phase of downtown improvements that will also include the reconstruction of three parking lots, a new parking lot on the corner of Washington Street and Second Avenue, the reconstruction of the alley between Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue, and the Fourth Avenue storm sewer work. The first phase saw other parking lots in the downtown area reconstructed.

The project stems from the city’s receipt of a grant for $1,151,794 for the downtown work in 2022. The project will be paid for through the grant funds, downtown tax increment financing (TIF) bonds, and landfill, hotel/motel tax and railroad funds.

Tesreau said the city appreciates the patience of business owners and residents as it makes the improvements for the downtown area’s future.

“We’ll see benefits after everything is improved,” Tesreau said. “The parking lots will be improved for the next 30 years. The storm sewer will be better prepared for rainfall events. The restrooms, stage and downtown gathering area will draw additional people into the downtown area to help the businesses there and potentially draw new businesses to the area.”

The utility undergrounding work will see aerial poles and lines removed in the alley in the area to improve safety and aesthetics. All construction in the Main Street and Lincoln Highway area will be completed by the end of 2026.

Isley said that additional benefits after completion of the project include dumpsters in the alley behind Lincoln Highway being moved next to the buildings rather than out in the parking lot as they currently are, along with new storm sewer and curb and gutter in the alley.

“We’re very excited to get it all completed,” Isley said. “It will be a very nice improvement. The parking lots had previously been resurfaced, but this is a complete reconstruction of them. They were all building sites at one time and we’ve had a lot of issues with settling. This time it will be done right and will be a huge improvement.”

The parking spots lost to the new stage and restrooms structure will be replaced by a new parking lot on the corner of Fifth Avenue of Main Street. Twenty-two parking stalls will be permanently added to that location and two residential homes have been demolished on the site, which will also be a temporary parking area during construction.

The idea of an improved, dedicated gathering space downtown is almost 20 years in the making, Tesreau said, and 2027 will see that vision come to fruition.

“While it will be inconvenient and frustrating for a time due to construction, the benefits will far outweigh the temporary conditions that will exist,” Tesreau said.