Drivers along Ogden Avenue near Washington Street will get relief from lane closures by Nov. 13. The city is wrapping up the first phase of a water main replacement that has disrupted the corridor for more than a year.

Joshua Strait, engineering manager of water utilities for Naperville, told NCTV17 the work will be finished by that date. The city's project page, updated Oct. 8, lists completion by the end of November. Crews are replacing a cast-iron water main installed in the 1950s and 1960s that the city says has reached the end of its useful life.

The project stretches along Ogden Avenue between Washington Street and Wright Street and along Washington Street between Ogden Avenue and Bauer Road. The old pipe is being replaced with a new 16-inch main. Valves, hydrants and service connections along the route are also being upgraded.

Construction first started in spring 2025, paused through fall and winter, then restarted the week of May 18. Lane closures and shifting traffic patterns have been a fixture of the corridor since.

Crews work Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with occasional work extending to 5 p.m., according to the city.

Phase 2 pushed to 2027

Residents farther west on Ogden Avenue will have to wait longer. A second phase extending the new 16-inch main from the Washington Street intersection to about 1,000 feet past Mill Street has been postponed until 2027. The city cited permitting from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and other factors.

That stretch runs along Ogden Avenue between Washington Street and Naperville North High School.

A city announcement in May had described Phase 2 as scheduled to begin in early summer, pending weather and no major timeline changes. The city's project page, updated July 16, confirmed the postponement.

The Naperville City Council approved engineering services contracts for both phases at its March 18 meeting.

The council awarded Ciorba Group a change order bringing the Phase 1 engineering contract to $702,575 and a separate Phase 2 engineering services contract not to exceed $394,428.

The numbers cover engineering oversight only. Total construction costs for the two phases have not been published.

Motorists traveling the Ogden Avenue corridor should follow posted signage and allow extra travel time until Phase 1 wraps up Nov. 13.