Construction has started on improvements to the Naperville Riverwalk at Eagle Street.
The Eagle Street Gateway project, expected be completed by early September, will be the second venture undertaken as part of the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan. The first was a prairie nature garden installed last year just west of Centennial Beach.
Both are part of larger plans to expand, upgrade and revamp the Riverwalk in time for its 50th anniversary in 2031.
Work on the gateway construction began earlier this month, according to Bill Novack, director of Naperville’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department. It’s being done by Naperville-based Baumgartner Construction Inc.
Over the next six years, the city wants to tackle more than a dozen improvements in advance of ringing in the Riverwalk’s 50th birthday. Work is laid out in the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan, which was endorsed in fall 2020 to guide future development.
Aspirations are large and small, ranging from building out new sections of the DuPage River walkway to ecological restoration along its riverbank.
Naperville Riverwalk expansion, renovation plans for 2031 anniversary making progress
The Naperville City Council hired Baumgartner Construction to build the $3.5 million in improvements at a meeting in December.
Among the work that’s to be done is the upgraded gateway at Eagle Street and Jackson Avenue, which will correct accessibility problems. Capital improvements include the addition of ADA-compliant ramps and stairways connecting the Riverwalk and street-level paths just west of Eagle Street and the replacement of retaining walls with landscaped terraces.
During construction, visitors will be able to access the Riverwalk at Eagle Street south of the bridge at Farmer’s Plaza.
Project costs will be offset, in part, by a $900,000 federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville. Asked whether the grant could be at risk among the uncertainty over access to federal funding in recent months, Novack said, “We’re keeping our eyes and ears open.”
Foster, in a news release announcing the project’s launch, said, “The Riverwalk is one of Naperville’s most cherished community spaces, and these improvements will make it more inclusive and welcoming to all. Investing in accessible infrastructure benefits everyone and strengthens the Riverwalk’s role as a gathering place for the entire community.”
Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said, “The Riverwalk was a gift to generations of Naperville residents to come,” adding that revitalizing the Eagle Street Gateway “is part of the city’s continued commitment to making sure Naperville remains the world-class destination to live, work, and visit for everyone to enjoy.”
In all, the 2031 initiative is anticipated to be multimillion dollar initiative. To that end, a nonprofit organization — the Riverwalk 2031 Fund — has been established to help the city privately raise funding for master plan projects.
The Riverwalk 2031 Fund last November also launched a website, riverwalk2031fund.org, to educate the community about Riverwalk upgrades as they take shape.
