BATON ROUGE - After three years of orange cones lining a four mile stretch on Government Street, DOTD says the end is near. 

The Road Diet Project turns four lanes into three with a center turn lane. It's expected to be complete this summer.

DOTD says the goal is to make the area more bike and pedestrian friendly. 
  
"This is going to be a game changer for our city as far as design work goes," says Director of Front Yard Bikes, Dustin LaFont. 

Despite the project's weather delays, LaFont believes the construction taking place in front of his business will soon pay off. 

"We want it done as soon as possible, but this is going to be the longest bike path in the city that is not just for recreation or through a neighborhood," said LaFont.

Wednesday, crews worked to remove pavement between I-110 and Eugene Street. Their goal is to install street medians.

Construction is frustrating for some business owners like David Heroman. 

"The biggest impact is they've gone down to install the center blockades as we call them. It's because they block either your drive way or the turn lane to your business," said Heroman. 

Heroman owns the Original Heroman's Florist shop. He says business has taken a hit since construction began. 

"The construction here on Government Street, the Road Diet, has hurt my walk-in traffic by 20 to 30 percent," said Heroman. 

But the slow down associated with the road work has made some business owners new customers. While they're ready for construction to finish, they know the finished product will be worth it.

DOTD says more delays could happen depending on weather.