St. Clair County Courthouse construction will cause road closure starting next week

Lexi Cortes
·2 min read

Construction at the St. Clair County Courthouse in Belleville will soon cause a temporary street closure.

Starting Monday, the first block of South First Street between West Main and West Washington streets will be closed to through traffic, according to a construction notice from the county.

The county is demolishing the courthouse’s exterior steps at the southwest entrance to eventually provide street-level entry on that side of the building, which means it will become accessible to people who can’t climb the stairs.

The construction project also includes plans to expand the entry lobby and improve the security checkpoint there before people can enter the building’s offices or courtrooms.

As construction crews continue working on the steps, the southwest entrance to the building and the pedestrian crosswalk tunnel between the South First Street public parking garage and courthouse are closed to visitors. The building’s main entrance across from the fountain on Public Square remains open.

Renovations are expected to continue at the southwest entrance until spring 2025, which will intermittently affect road and building access.

To help visitors plan their travel downtown and to the courthouse during construction, the county is providing updates on lane restrictions, parking and building access at its website, co.st-clair.il.us.

This satellite image of the St. Clair County Courthouse in downtown Belleville shows the planned road closure on South First Street as part of a construction project. Orange areas depict construction activities. The blue line shows the path visitors will be directed to travel during shutdowns of the tunnel between the South First Street public parking garage and courthouse.
Signage, pictured here on March 20, directs visitors around construction work at the St. Clair County Courthouse in downtown Belleville.
Signage, pictured here on March 20, directs visitors around construction work at the St. Clair County Courthouse in downtown Belleville.

The work is part of an estimated $14 million in total construction at the courthouse, which includes completed upgrades to prisoner holding cells, freight elevators and new, energy-efficient windows.

More than half of the cost, $9.3 million, is covered by federal COVID-19 relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan. The remaining $4.7 million will come out of Public Building Commission funds.

The Public Building Commission is a board that manages all county buildings and properties, including the courthouse, Belle-Clair Fairgrounds and MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

This artist’s rendering shows what the entrance on the southwest side of the St. Clair County Courthouse in downtown Belleville will look like after a planned construction project. As part of the project, the county will demolish deteriorating exterior steps and provide street-level entry to the building, as shown in the rendering.
This artist’s rendering shows what the entrance on the southwest side of the St. Clair County Courthouse in downtown Belleville will look like after a planned construction project. As part of the project, the county will demolish deteriorating exterior steps and provide street-level entry to the building, as shown in the rendering.