By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – With Town of Normal construction on Virginia Avenue set to begin on Monday, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center will temporarily alter how vehicles access the hospital’s main entrance at 1304 Franklin Ave. and some parking areas.
The town has indicated that its task of widening Virginia Avenue between University Street and Franklin Avenue will occur in two phases. Access to the main entrance of the hospital will be different in each phase. For the first phase that begins Monday, the current entrance off Virginia will be closed, and an access point slightly to the east that is currently used only an exit will be converted to both entrance and exit.
Vehicles enter from the open portion of Virginia Ave. just east of Franklin Ave. and will proceed in a loop, past Medical Office Center I, the hospital entrances, Medical Office Center II, and then out the same way they came in.
When the second phase of construction begins, hospital access will return to the current entrance west of Franklin Ave., which will become two-way until construction is completed.
Access to the hospital’s emergency department will not be affected by the construction.
Complimentary valet parking will continue to be offered at both Medical Office Center I and the hospital main entrance, and all parking areas will remain open. However, for the first stage of construction, Lot G will only be accessible from University Street, and the hospital’s Parking Deck can be entered only from Franklin Avenue.
Ample signage from both the Town of Normal and the hospital will be in place to help detour and route traffic to the appropriate areas. Also, the Connect Transit bus stop that was previously located at Virginia and Franklin has been permanently relocated to University St. at Virginia Ave.
