🥾 Constitution Trail: Weather & Safety Status

In Uptown, the bike trail now makes you walk your bike.

The Constitution Trail is closed north of Vernon Avenue while crews install the sidewalk that becomes its detour route, and once it re-opens, the trail detours at the Phoenix Avenue intersection until Uptown Underpass construction is complete — the Town of Normal's notice, posted Sept. 14, sets no end date. Town of Normal

The signed detour, exactly as the Town posted it: west on Phoenix Avenue to Broadway Avenue, north on Broadway to the north sidewalk of Beaufort Street, east along Beaufort to Uptown Circle, then the trailhead north of Uptown Circle. Town of Normal

The part that changes your ride: on the sidewalk through Uptown, cyclists must dismount and walk their bikes — that's Town ordinance, not a suggestion. Riding the street instead is allowed if you follow traffic patterns up Beaufort and around Uptown Circle; pedestrians stay on the north sidewalk of Beaufort. Town of Normal

Driving to the trailhead instead? The Parkinson Street Parking Lot off Linden Avenue is closed to the public for the construction zone, with limited parking further south of the lot; the Town points drivers to Uptown's three parking decks and 129 on-street spaces. Town of Normal

Why the walk exists: the detour is the price of the Underpass — a passage being built beneath the Union Pacific tracks so trail users and Amtrak passengers stop crossing them at street level. The Town's case, on its project page: trains through Uptown are increasing in number and speed, and the at-grade Linden and Broadway crossings are the conflict the underpass removes. No completion date has been published for the detour; the Town posts construction updates on the project page and the notice invites subscriptions there. Town of Normal — The Underpass

Second crossing to know — Willow Street at Normal Avenue Normal: the trail's other active work zone. Crews are building pedestrian refuge islands where the trail crosses Willow, so walkers and riders cross in stages instead of one full-width run. The crossing is a named job in the Town's campus safety plan, shared with the Town Council on Oct. 6, and ISU's TV-10 reports the construction underway with a finish expected by winter. Expect crews and a half-built crossing there; use the islands as they're marked, not the line you'd normally take. Town of Normal · TV-10 News

Today's trail weather — Wed., Oct. 21: clear and 46°F before dawn, sunny to a high of 74°F, no weather alerts in effect. Sunset is 6:07 PM — a ride that starts at 5:30 ends in the dark, and a pre-work ride leaves in it. Lights both ends of the day; the warm, bright window is midday. Current conditions · NWS forecast, this point

Send this to the one person whose morning run, ride, or Uptown drop-off crosses the trail at Vernon — their route changed on Sept. 21 and the signs are easy to blow past at speed.

Trail check, one word or one street name: what's the first spot on the Constitution Trail you'd fix? Reply and it goes on our list.

📣 Share card — Constitution Trail status (copy-paste ready)

• 🚧 The Constitution Trail is closed north of Vernon Ave. in Normal — detour runs Phoenix → Broadway → Beaufort → Uptown Circle until Underpass construction ends. The Parkinson St. trailhead lot is closed.
• 🚶 On the Uptown sidewalk, cyclists have to dismount and walk their bikes (Town ordinance). Second work zone: refuge islands are going in where the trail crosses Willow St. at Normal Ave. — cross in stages, finish expected by winter.
• 🌇 Wed., Oct. 21: sunny, high 74°, sunset 6:07 PM — midday is the ride; lights if you're out early or late. — The BloNo Bagel