It’s been almost a year now since the Main Street reconstruction project began in earnest, with Center Street between State and Church the first to be resurfaced. The work has since shifted to Main Street between Center and 1st Avenue, and Public Works Director Heather Thomas and City Administrator Carol Webb recently shared an update on what residents can expect in 2026 during an interview with the T-R.

Con-Struct of Marshalltown and Ames is serving as the general contractor on the project. Before the snow last November, the sidewalks on the north side near the courthouse were poured, but the planter curbs still need to be finished along with the bricks to be inlaid on that sidewalk. When work starts again — which, according to a downtown sign, will begin Monday — the road from the east side of Center Street to the east side of 1st Avenue will be closed for two to three weeks, then the contractor will open the block coming in from Center Street while the 1st Avenue intersection is still closed. The south parking spots will remain closed to finish up the event plaza space on the courthouse lawn with plans to keep moving east toward 3rd Avenue.

As for the event plaza area and 1st Avenue intersection, Thomas hopes to have it reopened in time for the Rev Up Downtown event scheduled for the end of May. Additionally, the goal is to wrap up work to the east by the end of 2026 followed by a year off before the next phase begins.

“We’re hoping we’re gonna have a year of no construction downtown (to) give everybody a break,” she said.

The city and county are evenly sharing the cost of the event plaza, which is estimated to cost between $600,000 and $700,000 in total, and Webb said the plan is to host a wide range of entertainment events in conjunction with the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) and other entities.

“I think it’s just gonna be a community gathering space,” Webb said.

While there have been growing pains and frustrations related to the project — back-in angle parking, specifically, has proven controversial — Thomas felt the overall reception has been positive, especially pertaining to the new look.

“The lighting is probably one I’ve heard the most positive comments on, the increased lighting on the downtown streets, especially Center Street,” Thomas said.

Webb acknowledged the “construction pain” but felt that people have generally been pleased with the end product, and she’s optimistic that private investment will follow the public investments made so far.

“I think you’ll see a lot of good things happening as it results from this work that the city is doing,” she said.

The City of Marshalltown frequently posts updates on its website and social media and launched the “Marshalltown Main Event” Facebook page in partnership with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce and the MCBD.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.