Metra will be closing lanes on Davis and Dempster streets in Evanston beginning Monday, Sept. 19 to repaint bridges that carry Union Pacific North Line trains.
The lanes will be closed on a rotating basis to minimize traffic impacts in downtown Evanston beginning with Davis Street on Monday, Sept. 19. Each lane is expected to be closed for two weeks as contractors remove the old paint and protective coatings and apply new.
In the Davis Street project’s first phase, the northernmost traffic and bike lanes of the one-way westbound street will be closed to traffic for approximately two weeks, followed by the closure of the southernmost lane.
While businesses in the area will remain open throughout the project, signage will be placed to inform pedestrians of sidewalk closures and traffic detours. Parking spots immediately adjacent to the work area will be blocked off, including parking along Elmwood Avenue.
Metra passengers using the Davis Street Metra Station are advised to access the station through the Church Street entrances at the station’s north end or via the accessible ramps during the work on the north side of the street.
After work is completed at Davis Street, the contractor will move to Dempster Street and traffic lanes on the street will be closed for approximately two weeks each. The westbound lanes of Dempster will be closed first, and all traffic will be rerouted north at Chicago Avenue to Lake Street, west to Maple Avenue and south to Dempster. Work on the eastbound lanes will commence immediately after work is completed on the westbound lanes. During this phase, eastbound traffic will be rerouted north at Maple Avenue to Lake Street, east to Chicago Avenue and then south to Dempster Street.