The Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project intensifies this Monday, May 13; two blocks on the Armory Avenue and Wright Street intersection will close for reconstruction.

As part of MCORE Project 4, workers will reconstruct Armory Avenue from Sixth Street to Wright Street and Wright from Armory to Chalmers Street. The blocks will be closed to traffic for the summer, and will re-open by August 23.

The Armory Avenue and Wright Street intersection will also close for reconstruction until an expected date of mid-July.

Chalmers Street from Sixth Street to Wright Street will serve as a two-way street during the summer to access on-street properties, said the Champaign Public Works Department in a press release. Pedestrians will still be able to walk along the north side of Armory Avenue and west side of Wright Street.

This phase of the MCORE project will widen the streets and intersection, add new bike lanes and build a new transit island along the east side of Wright Street. A rendering of the proposed improvements can be found on the MCORE website.

When students return for the fall semester, the east side of Wright Street will be fully reconstructed and accessible up to Green Street. Construction will begin on the west side of Wright Street and north side of Armory Avenue in September 2019, and the intersection will open to northbound traffic.

The final phase of MCORE Project 4 begins in 2020, reconstructing the Sixth Street and Daniel Street intersection along with Wright Street from Green Street to Springfield Avenue. The MCORE plan promises wider streets and clearer lane demarcations for buses, bikers and pedestrians.

The Armory Avenue and Wright Street blocks will be fully reconstructed by December, with improved transit sites on one of the busiest campus intersections.

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