Division Widening In Final Phase

There’s no getting around it. Traffic is going to be awful on North Division Street this spring and summer as the final phase of the three-year widening project is completed.

“Right now, work is scheduled to go through early September,” said Brian Marquette, assistant project engineer with the Department of Transportation.

The project stretches between Queen and Francis avenues.

The project will add two left-turn lanes from eastbound Francis to northbound Division; two left-turn lanes from westbound Francis to southbound Division; and a right-turn lane from eastbound Francis to southbound Division.

This week, crews are burying utilities and cable on the west side of Division.

Once the weather warms up, crews can begin removing sidewalks and laying the prelevel, a thin coat of pavement that shapes the road and provides a stable surface.

The most dramatic change will likely come in late August when Northwest Bedding, a fixture on the corner of Francis and Division for 32 years, will be torn down.

Several other business along the stretch will have to move signs, reduce landscape or rearrange parking lots.

The $2.2 million price tag is a construction cost only and doesn’t include purchasing right of way for the widening project.

This is the final phase of a $35 million project to widen Division Street.

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