LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In preparation for the new downtown arena, two lanes of Third Street near the I-64 West ramp will be closed beginning after the morning rush hour on May 7.

A small portion of Third Street, between River Road and Washington Street, will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes to allow construction to begin on the substation on the West side of Third Street. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction from River Road to Washington Street. Louisville Metro Public Works will adjust signal timing during peak hours to reduce traffic congestion on the Third Street off ramp.

Between July 5 and Aug. 5, only one lane of Third Street will be closed to help the traffic flow during an unrelated upgrade project on I-64.

The lanes will remain closed throughout the project.

E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 324,000 natural gas and 398,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 531,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.