BURLINGTON — A months-long reconstruction project in historic downtown Burlington will officially begin Monday, closing two main streets lined with businesses.
According to the city, the project intends to improve deteriorating pavement, increase safety, and make the downtown experience more enjoyable for pedestrians.
WATCH: Burlington business owners prepare for months-long downtown reconstruction project
City plans show a stretch of Chestnut Street will be entirely closed to traffic starting April 20 and likely will not reopen until July. Neighboring Pine Street will see one block shut down for traffic beginning Monday, and three blocks will have no traffic starting in late June.
"It needs to be done, and I'm happy it's happening actually," said Kerry Witbrod, who owns Chic and Unique Consignment & Boutique on Chestnut Street in an area known as the loop.
She said she's looking forward to curbless sidewalks that will be wider and flatter, making them easier to navigate, and the landscaping that will come along with the redesign.
She's also optimistic about experiencing minimal impact to her business while the project is ongoing.
"We aren't going to be closed that much. We really won't be," Witbrod said. "It's not going to be as bad as people think. It's summertime in Wisconsin. We've got construction. It's what we do."
Witbrod also feels encouraged by the downtown businesses working together to address the closures and potential impacts.
"We're all brainstorming ideas of how can we get people down here, what can we do to let people know we are still open for business," Witbrod said.
Some of those ideas include new signage to indicate stores that are open and where to park.
"What's great about all of us being affected is we're all working together," Witbrod said.
It's a sentiment echoed by Valerie Kowalski, who owns Infinity & Beyond Coffee, a cafe on the loop.
"These are our neighbors. We love them," she said. "We know each other all so well, and we just want to see each other thrive."
Unlike Witbrod's business, her cafe has a secondary entrance that won't be impacted by construction.
"We are hoping to be able to cross promote as well," Kowalski said. "Because we have such a major parking lot back there and we are a major cut through to the loop, it kind of is to our benefit, but we also want to have that be a benefit to our other local businesses."
Kowalski also plans to put an emphasis on catering while construction is going on.
"We figured out a way to turn and pivot," she said. "Call us, we'll bring food to your house instead. We'll do catering."
Kowalski is also hopeful about the outcome of the project, which is expected to wrap up in fall of 2026.
"We'll have a beautiful street. We'll have a new sewer system. We'll have better electric lines," Kowalski said.
The business owners said the key to success for their businesses and the project is communication, and they are reminding customers to follow businesses on social media for the latest updates.
For more details about the plan and when road closures are expected to be in place, visit Burlington's website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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