Kirkwood Avenue Closures

This is photo of a crowd for Taste of Bloomington on Kirkwood Avenue in 2025.

What began in 2020 as a temporary pandemic-era accommodation for restaurants during the summer months evolved into a years-long debate over whether Bloomington’s Kirkwood Avenue should function primarily as a street for cars or as a pedestrian-oriented public space. The city's 2019 transportation plan calls for the redesign of Kirkwood as a shared street. The street was closed on summer weekends in 2020, then seasonally closed each year from 2021 through 2023, remained open in 2024 because of the city’s stormwater project detour needs, returned to another seasonal closure in 2025, with an additional block, after the city council adopted a standing outdoor dining ordinance. In summer 2026, the street then reopened to regular vehicle traffic in 2026, after the Thomson administration suspended the closure program—except for one-off special events.

2026

• 2026-05-13 First "Family Night Out" event is held, with face painting, other activities, music, on the block of Kirkwood between Lincoln Street and Grant Streets, thes same block as the the Monroe County Public Library. [B Square coverage]
• 2026-02-24 Board of public works action. Bloomington board of public works approves Resolution 2026-006, a 2026 Kirkwood dining plan that keeps the street open to vehicle traffic while allowing restaurant parklets. The vote is taken by Kyla Cox Deckard and Elizabeth Karon; James Roach is absent. Special projects and operations manager Cassie Werne presents the plan, reporting that business feedback on full street closures has been split approximately 50–50. The board's resolution marks a departure from the seasonal full-block closures used in most years since 2020. Major events like Taste of Bloomington and Pridefest will still involve temporary street closures. [BSB coverage] [city outdoor dining page]
• 2026-02-12 City engineer order. City engineer Andrew Cibor issues an order suspending the Kirkwood closure component of the outdoor dining program for the 2026 season, citing "lack of participation and impracticality (budget)." The order invokes the authority granted to the city engineer under Section 7 of the council's conversion ordinance. Kirkwood Avenue remains open to vehicle traffic in 2026 except for special events. [BSB coverage] [copy of Cibor's memo]
• 2026-02-04 Administration report. Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson's administration presents to the city council a plan to keep Kirkwood Avenue open to vehicle traffic in summer 2026, effectively suspending the seasonal street closure. Economic and sustainable development (ESD) department staff cite limited resources, mixed economic impacts, safety and accessibility concerns, and an estimated $80,000 annual loss in parking revenue versus $17,500 in program fees. Of more than 25 restaurants along Kirkwood, only five participated in outdoor dining in 2025. Staff report an 8 percent decline in average daily visits from 2024 to 2025. Several councilmembers sharply criticize the plan, saying it violates the spirit of the conversion ordinance enacted the prior year. ESD director Jane Kupersmith tells The B Square the department is "taking a pause" and will present a final plan at the Feb. 24 board of public works meeting. [BSB coverage] [copy of COB survey data]
• 2026-01-31 The city of Bloomington says staff recommend keeping Kirkwood open to vehicles in 2026 after reviewing data and feedback. [official city press release]

2025

• 2025-11-12 Street closure ends. Bollards are removed from Kirkwood Avenue, ending the 2025 outdoor dining season. Cars pass through the intersection of Kirkwood and Walnut for the first time since spring. [BSB coverage]
• 2025-04-01 Street closure begins. Bollards are installed on Kirkwood Avenue for the 2025 outdoor dining program. The seasonal closure officially runs from April 4 through Nov. 10, closing sections from Indiana Avenue at Sample Gates to Walnut Street near the courthouse square. The 100 block has a western half-block closure; the 200 block remains open; the 300–500 blocks are fully closed to vehicles. [BSB coverage] [BSB photo]
• 2025-03-28 Bloomington finalizes the 2025 geometry: west half of 100 block closed, 200 block open, and 300–500 blocks fully closed. [Official city press release]
• 2025-01-22 City council action. Bloomington city council unanimously approves Ordinance 2025-02, establishing the Outdoor Dining Program in the Downtown Corridor as an ongoing program. The ordinance closes Kirkwood Avenue to motor vehicle traffic annually from the 100 East through 500 East blocks, with the ESD department determining exact seasonal dates. The ordinance states the program "shall operate unless earlier terminated under Section 7" and authorizes the city engineer to permanently or temporarily suspend the program in cases of emergency, lack of participation, or impracticality. The ordinance is intended to give businesses multi-year certainty and a path toward a more pedestrian-oriented Kirkwood. Councilmembers Kate Rosenbarger and Isak Asare amend the original proposal to bring back the full street closure and to remove language that would have limited the program through 2028. [BSB coverage] [copy of ordinance]
• 2025-01-22 Bloomington city council adopts amended Ordinance 2025-02, creating an annual standing Outdoor Dining Program and restoring the Kirkwood conversion element alongside parklets. [copy of Ordinance 2025-02]

2024

• 2024-04-11 City of Bloomington announces 2024 outdoor dining begins April 29; no Kirkwood seasonal closure is included. [city press release]
• 2024-03-28 Staff and council materials for Resolution 2024-05 say 2024 will be a parklet-only year because Clear Creek Reconstruction requires Kirkwood to remain available for detours. [copy of council memo] [copy of staff memo]
• 2024-02-06 Stormwater project. Bloomington's board of public works discusses the final leg of the CBU stormwater culvert project, which will run from Dunn Street across Indiana Avenue to the IU campus. Milestone Contractors submitted the low bid at approximately $3.65 million. The project is expected to cross Indiana Avenue around the end of May and wrap up before students return in the fall. Because the maintenance-of-traffic plan shows Kirkwood as an alternate route for traffic displaced from Indiana Avenue, Kirkwood cannot be fully closed to automobile traffic during that phase. No seasonal Kirkwood closure is implemented in 2024. [BSB coverage]

2023

• 2023-04-03 Street closure begins. Yellow bollards are installed on Kirkwood Avenue for the fourth year of seasonal closures, running through Oct. 1. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-03-01 City council action. Bloomington city council approves the fourth year of the Kirkwood closure and parklet program, running from April 3 through Oct. 1. The same three sections are closed as in previous years. An amendment to remove the block from Dunn Street to Indiana Avenue fails, getting support only from Dave Rollo and Ron Smith. Council president Sue Sgambelluri notes that 2023 may be the last year to collect data on the same closure configuration, because a city of Bloomington utilities (CBU) stormwater culvert project is expected to require the Dunn-to-Indiana block to remain open in 2024. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-02-15 City council action. Bloomington city council postpones approval of the 2023 Kirkwood closure and parklet program for two weeks, to sort through details including the possible removal of the Dunn-to-Indiana block and concerns about accessibility to Trinity Episcopal Church. The proposed configuration is the same as in 2022. [BSB coverage]
• 2023-02-15 Bloomington city council debates Resolution 23-04 and postpones action after concerns about ADA access, churches, alley access, and parking. [copy of draft meeting minutes]

2022

• 2022-01-19 City council action. Bloomington city council unanimously approves the third successive year of the Kirkwood Avenue closure and parklet program, running from mid-March through the end of October. Sections closed include the full block between Indiana Avenue and Dunn Street (500 block), the full block between Dunn Street and Grant Street (400 block), and the west half of the block from Washington Street to Walnut Street (100 block). For the first time, businesses are charged fees to use the public right-of-way. Fees range from $500 for businesses with fewer than 20 seats to $3,500 for those with more than 100 seats. Parklet fees are $1,250 per parking space. A feasibility study for permanent closure of Kirkwood is identified as a city goal by the end of September, based on mayor John Hamilton's 2022 budget proposal. [BSB coverage] [meeting packet] [copy of draft council minutes]

2021

• 2021-06-02 Common Council approves Resolution 21-18, extending the emergency framework through October 31, 2021; supporting materials cite DBI survey input, KCA feedback, ADA requirements, and a requested successor traffic order. [Resolution 21-18]
• 2021-03-16 Board of public works action. Bloomington board of public works approves 2021 Kirkwood closures, to begin March 25 and run through June 30. Closures will persist through the week, not just weekends. The block between Grant and Dunn streets and the block between Walnut and Washington streets will be closed. The half-block between Washington and the alley behind the Book Corner will remain open to automobile traffic to allow access to the CVS at Kirkwood and Washington, which is operating a COVID-19 vaccination clinic. No fees are charged to businesses. [BSB coverage]

2020

• 2020-09-23 City council action. Bloomington city council extends the ordinance allowing waiver of relevant city code requirements through the end of 2020. The administration requests the extension to continue the Kirkwood closures. Special projects manager Kaisa Goodman says the city will continue working with the Kirkwood Community Association on specific closure determinations. [BSB coverage] [copy of Resolution 20-15]
• 2020-06-19 Street closure begins. Weekend closures of sections of Kirkwood Avenue begin. The board of public works resolution authorizes closures on the weekend of June 19–21 and subsequent weekends through Sept. 30. Public works crews install and remove yellow bollards each weekend. No fees are charged to businesses. [BSB coverage] [BPW memo]
• 2020-06-17 City council action. Bloomington city council gives final approval to the ordinance relaxing code requirements for businesses, enabling weekend closures of Kirkwood Avenue. The closures are intended to allow restaurants to seat more people outside, distanced from each other, to reduce the perceived risk of COVID-19 transmission. [BSB coverage] Ordinance 20-11
• 2020-06-10 City council action. Bloomington city council gives first reading to an ordinance relaxing sign regulations and code requirements for businesses through Sept. 30, as part of the city's COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan. The ordinance also enables the planned Kirkwood street closures. [BSB coverage]
• 2020-06-09 Board of public works action. Bloomington board of public works approves a streamlined application process for additional sidewalk space along Kirkwood Avenue for restaurants and retail establishments. The Kirkwood Community Association (KCA) will submit a single application on behalf of participating businesses. Approval is contingent on passage of a related ordinance by the city council. [BSB coverage]
• 2020-06-08 Plan commission action. Bloomington plan commission approves a temporary waiver of sign permit application fees through Sept. 30, as part of the city's effort to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The waiver is authorized under a provision of the unified development ordinance allowing fee waivers for proposals actively promoted by a unit of local government. [BSB coverage]