Oak Park Avenue's $18 million infrastructure overhaul will finish by Thanksgiving at or under budget, village officials confirmed. Business owners along the corridor say months of construction have cut their revenue by as much as half.

Village Engineer Bill McKenna and Project Manager Brian Racine told the Wednesday Journal, which first reported the milestone, that streets and sidewalks through the Hemingway Business District will reopen before the holiday season. Crews have been working weekends to hit the deadline, finishing electrical work for light poles and traffic signals, irrigation, concrete work and two large art installations.

Some work will stretch into 2027. Landscaping requires spring plantings, and pavement markings may need touch-ups because paint does not adhere well in cold weather.

The Renew the Avenue project replaces water and sewer pipes more than a century old beneath Oak Park Avenue between Ontario Street and Randolph Street. The village had pursued the rebuild since 2011, according to earlier Wednesday Journal reporting, but delayed the start twice. First, officials wanted to let businesses recover from the pandemic. Then the lone construction bid came in nearly $5 million over budget.

To close that gap, the village cut custom fencing, specialty lighting and granite sidewalk pavers, switched to concrete pavers and made other adjustments that trimmed roughly $2.1 million. ALamp Concrete Contractors, which also delivered Oak Park's Madison Street streetscape on time and under budget, is overseeing the work.

A community block party called "On the Road Again" is set for Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Hemingway District ahead of the official reopening.

George Konstantos, owner of George's Family Restaurant at 145 S. Oak Park Ave., said revenue has been down about 30% since construction began. Some days it drops closer to 50%, a low he has not seen since the pandemic.

"I grew up with this place, so it means a lot to me," Konstantos said. "I don't want to just close it and walk away."

Konstantos said he has been frustrated by a lack of direct financial support from the village and by parking struggles that keep customers away. The village offered grant programs for businesses, but only for exterior upgrades, interior improvements and social media marketing assistance.

A few doors south, Grape Leaves manager Estefania Berroteran said the Moroccan restaurant at 129 S. Oak Park Ave. has had to let staff go and postpone a planned expansion into a larger space next door. Berroteran said the construction has been especially hard on older customers, who face longer walks and difficult sidewalks. She said she saw a couple of people fall just outside the restaurant.

Oak Park Avenue from Randolph to Lake streets remains closed to all northbound and southbound traffic and street parking through November, according to the project website. The Avenue Parking Garage at 720 North Blvd. offers free 90-minute parking during the project, and Maya Del Sol restaurant has opened its valet service to neighboring Hemingway District businesses for $5 per car.

Berroteran said Grape Leaves plans to move into the larger space as soon as the avenue reopens.