The city of Bloomington will close a north-south thoroughfare downtown, which a city official said will have a “significant” impact. Here’s what you need to know.
Which streets in downtown Bloomington will be closed?
College Avenue, south of Third Street. Roads and sidewalks will be closed.
College Avenue south of Third Street will be closed for two weeks starting in late January 2026.
When are roads closed?
The road will be closed from January 26, 2026 to February 12, 2026.
Why are roads closed?
Rendering of the planned Bloomington Convention Center.
Weddle Brothers, the contractor for the Bloomington Convention Center expansion project, recently asked the city for permission to close the road. The company will use the enclosed area to install a sky bridge between the existing convention center and the eastern extension. The skybridge will span College Avenue, connecting the two parts of the center.
Which city agency approved the closure?
The Bloomington Board of Works unanimously approved the closure this week. Public Works Director Adam Wason said city officials realize the closure will have a “significant impact on the area and corridor,” but said the closure is necessary for a “generational project”: a $71 million convention center expansion.
He said city officials were unaware that College Avenue had ever been fully closed for such a long period of time.
Watson said city staff is working on a “substantial communications plan” to ensure transit participants, residents and business owners in the area know what to expect. Signage is scheduled to be installed three weeks before the closure.
Are there any official detours?
Yes. Kyle Baugh, an engineering field specialist with the city’s engineering department, said the vehicle detour will take drivers from Third Street to Rogers Street and back to Second Street. Pedestrians will travel east along Walnut Street and return via Second Street.
Officials said they will be installing plenty of signage to make sure people know what to expect, though Watson said the city realizes local residents may find shortcuts and different workarounds.
How will the closure affect nonprofits, businesses, residents?
Thursday, May 29, 2025, at my sister’s closet on College Avenue.
Sandy Keller, executive director of My Sister’s Closet, said she hopes the city and county will work with nonprofits, businesses and residents in the area to make sure people know about alternative routes.
“My biggest concern is customers coming here,” she said.
My Sister’s Closet is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged women living in poverty and at-risk environments achieve economic success.
People can still come to the My Sister’s Closet neighborhood from the south on Second Street and drive around the back (east) of several buildings, Keller said.
Keller said My Sister’s Closet can’t afford to lose two weeks of sales now that the nonprofit is moving to 1204 W. Second Street and still hopes to raise nearly $1 million. People who want to support the nonprofit can contact Marci Hibbard at vpdevelopment@sisterscloset.org or 812-320-8926.
Keller said she hopes the brief closure won’t impact sales too much and she’s looking forward to the expansion of the convention center, which she hopes will create jobs and benefit nonprofit clients.
Will there be any overnight work?
City officials said crews would only work at night as a last resort to limit the closure to two weeks.
What happens after road closures in downtown Bloomington?
As of June 26, 2026, College Avenue will be limited to one lane. The east lane will be closed.
Boris Ladwig can be contacted at bladwig@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared in the Herald Times: Bloomington officials say closing downtown road will have ‘significant’ impact