Construction on Sherman Avenue is expected to be completed before the 32nd annual Downtown Coeur d’Alene Street Fair begins on August 2.

Todd Feusier, the city’s director of streets and engineering, can all but guarantee it.

“It will happen before the Street Fair,” he said.

Work on the mill and inlay work began on July 8 between Government Way and Eighth Street, with Sherman Avenue completely closed from 2:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and partially closed for the rest of the day.

Feusier said some people questioned the time frame he chose for the project, but he said it was the largest gap he could find between two major downtown events: July 4 and the fair.

“Right now it’s on schedule,” he said Thursday.

Crews will begin paving Sherman Avenue on Sunday, which should take about two days. They will begin replacing road markings on Tuesday.

In a separate project, but in the same area, contracted crews are laying out utilities at Sixth Street and Sherman Avenue for the new Marriott hotel coming there, possibly next year. Feusier said they hope to finish that before paving the area.

Emily Boyd, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association, said the construction has impacted businesses during the busiest time of the year.

“It’s not the ideal time for businesses,” she said. “The summer season is when they make their money.”

She said visitors were surprised to see orange “ROAD AHEAD CLOSED” signs and construction equipment.

As the day progresses, visitors notice that the stores are open as usual, Boyd said.

“It hasn’t really had a deterrent effect,” she said.

She said the city and contractors have worked well with the businesses and have done everything they can to keep traffic flowing and attract visitors.

“It was a good line of communication,” Boyd said.

Although Boyd was initially concerned that the work on Sherman Avenue would take too long until the Street Fair, he is confident that it will be completed in time and that the future improvements will be worth the effort.

This year’s Downtown Street Fair will feature more than 150 vendors and runs from August 2-4.

Drivers pass the road markings on Sherman Avenue on Thursday.