Lucinda Ave. bridge detour to resume in DeKalb, last to June

DeKALB – Beginning next week, a six-month detour is expected to go into effect for all vehicular traffic from Lucinda Avenue bridge in DeKalb, meant to accommodate a rescheduled plan to replace the bridge this year.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, DeKalb leaders were given a brief project update.

City Engineer Zac Gill said the timing will make sense for the city to begin rerouting vehicular traffic in and around the Lucinda Avenue bridge.

Pedestrian traffic will be restricted starting at the end of next week.

“Lucinda Avenue bridge we’re finding out that that is nearing clearance from all utility conflicts,” Gill said. “We looked at the most sensible way to do this is, as the second semester starts there at NIU, let them have their move-in weekend. The week of Jan. 15, then we’ll give them that Monday to clear out of town, all parents, friends and visitors. … By the end of the week, the detour enclosure for the Lucinda [Avenue] bridge will be re-erected.”

The city anticipates that improvements to the Lucinda Avenue bridge will be completed by the summer, officials said.

Originally, the city intended to have work on both the First Street and Lucinda Avenue bridges completed by the end of 2023. But things didn’t pan out according to plan.

While the First Street bridge reopened in December, after some delays of its own, the Lucinda Bridge replacement project was halted and pushed to 2024 because of what city officials said were delays by area utility companies.

Mayor Cohen Barnes expressed his appreciation to Gill for taking the lead with overseeing the city’s bridge work.

“We’re really excited to have the bridges completed,” Barnes said.