East State Street in Geneva: flagger delays and concrete paving on Route 38

Updated Nov. 13, 2026: This story now reflects the city's most recent posted schedule and Friday's Route 25 closure at State Street.

Drivers on Route 38 through Geneva's east side are still working around the Illinois Department of Transportation's rebuild of East State Street. The City of Geneva's most recent weekly update, posted Nov. 6, said crews were running water mains and service lines across the highway between Harrison Street and East Side Drive, and that concrete paving on the south side would start Wednesday, Nov. 11, weather permitting. As of Friday afternoon, Nov. 13, the city had not posted a newer update saying whether paving started on that date.

Route 25 closed at State Street Friday morning

A construction vehicle struck an electric pole just north of State Street on Friday, Nov. 13, according to Geneva Police. Route 25 was closed from State to Wall streets while crews worked, and the city said it reopened around 12:15 p.m. after Public Works stabilized the pole. About 75 customers between State and Jefferson streets and Route 25 and Howard Street lost power. The city said the permanent repair can likely be done from a side street without disrupting Route 25 traffic.

What drivers are dealing with

Traffic on East State Street is shifted to the north side of the road between the Fox River and a point just west of Kirk Road, with one lane open in each direction. Where crews are installing water mains and service lines across the highway, traffic alternates through a single lane controlled by flaggers.

The city said this extra restriction began Oct. 8. In its Nov. 6 update, it said the work was expected to continue at least another week, warned of extensive delays in both directions during work hours, which include Saturdays, and strongly encouraged drivers to use other routes. Outside construction hours, the road goes back to one lane each way.

Progress as of Nov. 6

According to the city's Nov. 6 update:

• The new water main passed testing between the Fox River and Nebraska Street.
• Both water main crews kept working on the remaining service lines and water main along the side streets between Kansas Street and Briar Lane.
• The roadway crew prepared the stretch between East Side Drive and Glengarry Drive for concrete paving.
• An AT&T contractor was at Nebraska Street to rehabilitate a structure, and the electrical subcontractor kept installing lighting and traffic signal conduit at intersections.

Concrete paving and Water Street

The Nov. 6 update said that once prep work was done, IDOT's roadway crew would begin pouring concrete for two traffic lanes on Wednesday, Nov. 11, on the south side of Route 38, from East Side Drive to the eastern end of the project, weather permitting. The city warned that concrete trucks and other equipment would be entering and leaving the work zone often. Watch for flaggers and allow extra time.

The same update said work on Water Street was delayed until mid-November.

At the east end of the corridor, Kane County has its own lane closures on Kirk Road north of Route 38. Our Kirk Road story has those details.

The bigger project

IDOT is rebuilding East State Street from Glengarry Drive to the Fox River. The plan widens the road to add a shared left-turn lane through the corridor and adds bike lanes, sidewalks, street lighting, new trees, traffic signal upgrades, and new water main and storm drainage. The City of Geneva is upgrading its own underground electric and water utilities as part of the job.

Construction began in March 2026. Stage 1, which moved traffic to the north side in May, is expected to continue through spring 2027. During this stage, crews are putting in the new water main on the south side from Route 25 to near Ridge and Briar lanes and replacing pavement, sidewalk, lighting, storm sewer, curb and driveways. The city notes this work has at times closed the southbound lane of Route 25 at State Street.

The full project is scheduled to wrap up in late 2027, with punch list items finished the following year. Work generally runs from 7 a.m. to the close of business, Monday through Saturday. The city says access to side streets and businesses will be kept open, with occasional temporary closures.

How to keep up

The city posts an East State Street update each week on its News Flash page, and the project page has flyers, FAQs and a slideshow of each construction stage. You can also sign up for road construction alerts through Notify Me on the city website. All work depends on the weather and the schedule can change.