Local construction crews have begun to reconstruct 5th Avenue between 17th street and 18th street in Moline.
But, the project is tossing a couple of speed bumps into the path of some commuters and businesses.
“Parking already is hard down here,” said Sherri Jamison, who works downtown.
It just got more difficult along 5th Avenue in Downtown Moline.
“All of this construction I didn’t know anything about, it’s going to be kind of inconvenient,” said Jamison.
The project includes replacing streets, sidewalks and utilities.
It’ll be done blocks at time, with the phase from 17th to 18th street lasting about a month.
The entire project will take a year to complete, according to the City of Moline.
As the weather gets warmer, you’re going to start seeing a lot more construction barriers up around town, signaling a headache for a lot of us.
Construction also started Monday on I-74 in Moline, where they’re down one lane from 12th Ave. to Highway 6.
The impact is perhaps not as major as the downtown project.
“This floored me when I saw this today,” said Kim Hawkins, who works nearby.
Businesses like La Flama will have to adapt to the scene of bulldozers and construction cones right outside their restaurant and people who work in the area will have to adjust their routine.
“I come down here and walk at lunchtime and I thought they did a lot of work last year, I thought they were done with it all,” said Hawkins.
“I’m going to tell my coworkers to park in the parking garage because it’s going to be easier.”
Moline’s construction manager, Mike Bartels, says businesses were given notice roughly a month ago.
Cars can park in city lots and along 18th and 19th streets.