The City of Renton will host an open house on the Rainier Avenue project March 24 at Renton City Hall.

The open house is 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the seventh-floor Conferencing Center at City Hall, 1055 S. Grady Way.

City officials will provide project updates, discuss elements of project construction to minimize traffic disruption and preserve business access, and get input and feedback from the community.

Construction of the roughly two-year project is anticipated to begin in early 2011.

When completed, the Rainier Avenue project will improve:

• Transit mobility by adding new north and southbound business-access (BAT) lanes.
• Traffic safety by eliminating left-hand turns, except at intersections, and allowing signalized U-turns at intersections.
• Pedestrian safety by adding new eight-foot-wide sidewalks, set back from the street, landscaping and street lighting.