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--> --> A traffic pylon closes off curbside access in front of Village Shoes along Main Street, where the road has been torn up for paving. Ashland Daily Tidings/MYLES MURPHY Traffic squeeze enters downtown By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Downtown traffic will be funneled into one lane for the next few days as the Oregon Department of Transportation makes its final push to finish up the paving part of its street improvement project. "We're only going to be there for three days," ODOT spokesman Bill Boyett said. "By Tuesday all the paving work will be done." The project is a long way from complete, however, as crews will continue working on the final touches of striping and street signs. "There's a lot of completion work left to do," he said. Beginning Sunday night at midnight and running continuously through Tuesday afternoon, paving crews will be paving on Main Street between Helman Street and Third Street through downtown. One lane of traffic will be available during this period. ODOT picked the weekend for its big downtown push because the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is shut down Monday, Boyett said. "That gives an opportunity to work while making the least amount of impact," Boyett said. "Like every other business, they're trying to stay in business." Downtown businesses will have to suffer through to Wednesday, and Boyett said he has been fielding calls from business owners concerned with a downturn in customers. "In the U.S. today, it's difficult to have a small business and any kind of interference to access is detrimental," Boyett said. "We understand that, but we can't pave the street in the winter. In general businesses have been understanding." The impact so far has not been too overwhelming for some businesses. "It hasn't really been impacting us," said Village Shoes salesperson Bridget Lions, who works at the corner of Second and Main streets. "I'd say the heat is more of a problem sometimes." Drivers could experience up to 20-minute delays at times, according to Boyett. Meanwhile, motorists trying to dodge the downtown traffic will run into continuing work along Interstate 5 parallel to Ashland between exits 11 and 19. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing