Fan Fest faces construction challenge

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As construction continues to dig away in Downtown Austin, merchants wonder if everything will be cleaned up and ready for the Formula One Fan Fest in November.

There are several road construction projects still dragging on in the Warehouse District, from Second Street to Fifth Street and from Lavaca Street to Congress Avenue.

The city's Public Works Department said Friday that many of those projects will be completed before November, and those that are not will be minimized and dressed up, with heavy machinery and big equipment moved out.

Merchants are hoping for the best.

"Yes, it will have an impact," Dennis Gan, manager of the Chinatown restaurant. "It won't look good. But you do what you have to do. They're fixing a gas leak, you have to do it."

Ted Levy manages the Maria Maria restaurant on Colorado Street.

"They hope to be done up to Fifth Street, with trees and lights all the way down," Levy said. "Hopefully, they'll be finished with it. We're looking at a lot of foot traffic."

Fan Fest starts Nov. 16, a three-day celebration of the Formula One race, with exhibitions, race cars, parties and lots of music -- most of it in the Warehouse District.

F1 representatives say they've been given assurances by the city that things will be ready and they have faith.

"I've had the pleasure of working events in 19 states, with different bureaucracies and government boards," said F1 events coordinator Paul Thornton. "The festivals here, South By Southwest and ACL, have really prepped them. "