The East Washington Street Improvement Project consists of improvements from Carthage Street to Eastside Drive. These improvements include a water main replacement between Carthage Street and Fairview Street, new asphalt surface from Carthage Street to Eastside Drive, and new sidewalks in the downtown corridor. The engineer for this project is Snyder & Associates. On April 21st, 2025, the contract for this project was awarded to Blacktop Services Inc. This project is being funded in part by Surface Transportation Block Grant Funds and tax increment financing by the City of Exira. We understand the inconvenience this causes and appreciate the public's patience as we work to improve infrastructure. The anticipated completion date for this project is by the end of November 2025.

• October 8, 2025: The water main contractor has completed installation and testing of the new water main. Service line connections from Carthage to Jefferson Street are complete and connections on the block from Jefferson to Kilworth will be completed today. The contractor will then move eastward to complete service line connections from Kilworth to Fairview Streets. Beginning today our concrete contractor will begin demolition of the sidewalks on the north side of Washington Street from Jefferson to Kilworth Streets. There will be no front door access to TJ’s or Exira Flower Supply until the concrete is replaced. This concrete work along with the remainder of the sidewalk in front of Exira Public Library and W Washington Street is scheduled to be completed by the end of day Friday October 10th. Additional north sidewalk reconstruction from Jefferson to Edgerton Street will continue throughout the next two weeks. The work at the intersection of Eastside Drive and E Washington is progressing. The gas main has been replaced, and the storm sewer work is expected to be completed by the end of next week. After all concrete work is complete, the general contractor will begin milling down, regrading, and finally asphalt paving of Washington Street from Carthage to the east city limits. We thank everyone for their continued patience as the city and its contractors work on these major infrastructure improvements. 

• October 1, 2025: Construction continues on the water main replacement. The contractor is awaiting test results before they can begin service line hookups from Carthage to Kilworth Streets. They continue to work on the water main replacement from Edgerton to Fairview Streets. This has required the intersection of N Fairview and Washington Street to be closed temporarily. The concrete contractor has moved from the south side of Washington Street sidewalks to the north side. Please be careful as the sidewalk on the south side of Washington Street currently has a large drop until the new grade of the street is put in place. We thank everyone for their continued patience as the city and its contractors work on these infrastructure improvements. 

• September 15, 2025: Construction continues on Washington Street from Carthage Street to Eastside Drive. The water main contractor should complete placing the new line under Washington Street from in front of City Hall to the Edgerton Street intersection this week and then move into the grass (Edgerton to Fairview Streets) to complete the connection to the main at Fairview Street. Our concrete contractor has begun work on the south side of Washington Street sidewalks between Carthage and Jefferson Streets and continues with work in multiple locations further east up the road. We also anticipate the storm water project at the intersection of Eastside Drive and Washington Street to begin this week. Eastside Drive will likely be closed temporarily for an approximately two weeks. Additionally, please note that traffic will likely be limited to single lane travel on most of Washington Street and some sidewalks will need to be closed. 

• September 1, 2025: Contractors have started on boring a new water main under the north side of Washington Street. They will then complete service connections to the existing businesses, which will be followed by the replacement of sidewalks, then street regrading and surfacing. At this time the north sidewalk is still open and accessible from the side streets (Carthage, Jefferson, and Kilworth).