Harlem Avenue is set to close to traffic for nearly a week to facilitate railroad repairs.
Starting Monday, Oct. 19, a two-mile stretch of the major thoroughfare is scheduled to close, with the roadway expected to reopen on Saturday, Oct. 24, if weather permits.
The resulting detour will take drivers west to First Avenue via Cermak Road or Ogden Avenue, where they can then head back east and continue north or south on Harlem Avenue.
Riverside drivers who head east to Harlem may be able to turn right and continue south, according to a map of a similar detour from last year, but the road will be closed to the north before it reaches the railroad just south of 26th Street.
In written statements, Riverside and Illinois Department of Transportation officials urged drivers to expect delays, plan to allow for extra time as they travel past the closure and keep an eye out in order to best obey detour signs.
The railroad being repaired is owned by Canadian National Railroad, which is spearheading the construction.
