Joliet plans downtown revitalization with city square, Chicago Street improvements

The Joliet City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of a $20.1 million downtown improvement project, although a few council members voiced their reservations.

The project includes a new city square and redesigned Chicago Street, two features that city officials and advocates have said will inject new vitality downtown.

The approval of a contract to get the work going puts into action a plan that the city of Joliet has been working on for years.

“This has been happening since 2015,” City Manager Beth Beatty said, referring to the planning that preceded the project.

Now, the actual construction is scheduled to be completed in less than two years.

The contract with Austin Tyler Construction of Elwood calls for the project, which includes water and sewer line improvements, to be done by December 2025.

Joliet wants the square and redesigned Chicago Street to be ready for 2026, when the city expects to see an increase in visitors for the 100th anniversary year for both the historic Route 66 and Rialto Square Theatre.

“We will have people coming to Joliet for the first time getting first impressions,” council member Cesar Guerrero said. “We will want people to be return customers.”

The square will introduce green space and a park setting to a downtown area where outdoor events now are held on the streets or in a large parking lot that will be converted into the square.

The Chicago Street redesign will replace the pedestrian mall layout created in response to the exit of stores for indoor malls in the 1970s with a modernized street that planners said will be more conducive to motorists, bicyclists and sidewalk cafes.

One sour note on the plan was sounded by council member Larry Hug, who noted the city has made repeated attempts to revitalize its downtown since the 1970s.

“This is going to be the 13th or 14th time the city has tried to turn around downtown, and each time it has failed,” Hug said.

He questioned the cost of the square project, saying it has been rising since first proposed. But Hug said the infrastructure improvements in the project are needed.

The Austin Tyler bid sets costs at $9 million for the square, $7.5 million for Chicago Street improvements, and $3.6 million for water and sewer work.

Council member Joe Clement said he would have preferred that the elements of the project be separated to attract more contractors, but he said it was time to move ahead.

“This project has been a long time coming,” Clement said.

The project only attracted two bidders. The low bidder, Lindblad Contruction of Joliet at $19.4 million, was disqualified because it did not meet pre-bidding qualifications set by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The state is supporting the project with $5.5 million, money that would have been at risk if the city went with a contractor that did not meet IDOT requirements.

The council’s Public Service Committee on Monday refused to recommend approval of the Austin Tyler bid while awaiting clarification from staff on why Lindblad was disqualified.

Public Works Director Greg Ruddy sent an email to council members before the meeting Tuesday, which apparently satisfied committee members who then voted for the Austin Tyler contract.

Lindblad had not filed the necessary paperwork with IDOT to meet its requirements for general contractors, city staff said.