Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Railroad Crossing at Washington Street Closed March 14-16

Union Pacific Railroad has informed the City that necessary repairs to the Washington Street railroad crossing will require for it to be closed from approximately 9 a.m. Friday, March 14, 2025, through 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16.

The posted detour route will direct northbound Washington Street traffic:

East (right) on Crescent
North (left) on President
West (left) on College Avenue, and
North (right) on Washington Street

The detour will direct southbound Washington Street traffic:

East (left) on College Avenue
South (right) on President Street
West (right) on Crescent Street, and
South (left) on Washington Street

See a map of the detour route on the City's website.

Parking Changes Coming to Downtown Wheaton

Changes are coming to downtown Wheaton parking, designed to meet the needs of both customers and employees by keeping parking spaces closest to downtown businesses available for customers, while providing additional parking options for downtown employees. These updates will roll out in phases beginning this spring.

What’s Changing?

Customer Parking: A 3-hour time limit will be going into effect for all areas currently designated “customer parking,” effective Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You will begin to see 3-hour customer parking signs installed in the central part of downtown, with 4-hour parking signs installed near the perimeter of downtown.
Employee Parking: In conjunction with timed customer parking, the City is rolling out the new Blue Dot Parking Program on July 1 to increase available parking options for downtown employees. This program will allow employees with Blue Dot parking permits to park beyond posted time limits in any areas with Blue Dot signs. The City will begin accepting Blue Dot permit applications on May 1.
Wheaton Place Garage, Fourth Floor: Starting April 1, 2025, the top floor of the Wheaton Place Garage will transition to all daily fee parking spaces, weekdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., payable through the Passport app. After 3 p.m. weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday, these spaces are free and available to customers.

We will continue to provide updates as each phase of these parking changes approaches. For more information, visit the City's website.

Make Music Wheaton Returns June 21 — Sign Up to Perform

Make Music Wheaton is back for 2025! The Fine and Cultural Arts Commission invites the community to participate in this annual celebration of music around the world on Saturday, June 21, 2025. The goal of this event is to generate a continuous soundscape of music for all to enjoy in a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces throughout downtown Wheaton. It is free and open to the public.

Sign up to Perform:

Musicians of all skill levels, from amateur to professional, are encouraged to participate in the event. There is no audition process, and the event is open to performers of all ages and genres.
Restaurants, businesses, and community organizations can also participate by offering their locale as a venue. The only requirements are that the performance space is open to the public and is free to attend.

To participate as a musician or venue, register online by visiting https://makemusicday.org/wheaton.

Gary Avenue Closure to Begin Week of March 16

As a reminder, starting the week of March 16 through mid-summer, Gary Avenue will be closed between Prairie Avenue and Harrison Avenue as crews begin the next phase of the Gary Avenue Improvement Project. Crews will be reconstructing the roadway; expanding the culvert; adding a turn lane, stoplight and marked crosswalk at Prairie Avenue; and adding a path for pedestrians. For more information, including the suggested detour route and access to local businesses, visit www.wheaton.il.us/GaryAvenue.

To hear more about the project from the City's Senior Project Engineer, watch this video.

Early Voting Begins March 17

Early voting for the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election starts on March 17. DuPage County residents can vote early at the DuPage County Fairgrounds (Building 5), 2015 Manchester Road.

Each of Wheaton's four district representative positions on the City Council is up for election. Voters can only vote for one candidate for City Council in the district in which they reside. This election also includes the election of Park District, Township, and School District officials.

For more information on Early Voting, please visit DuPage County’s website.

Metra Seeking Public Feedback on Potentially Renaming Lines

Metra is launching a survey to ask riders what they think about potentially renaming lines to make the system easier to understand for new and occasional riders. Riders can participate in the survey by visiting www.metra.com/LineNames. For more information, visit Metra's website.

Contact Us

To contact us, please send an email to:
communications@wheaton.il.us.