Traffic on Interstate 10 near Downtown will be humming next week as gem show exhibitors start welcoming customers.

Though construction on the I-10 frontage roads between West Congress Street and West Speedway continues, officials with the state Department of Transportation say the road work won't have a big impact on the gem show, which is expected to draw 46,500 exhibitors, buyers and officials to Tucson.

No closures of the frontage roads near Downtown are planned for the duration of the gem show. The roads will be open to one lane of traffic.

The off-ramp at Speedway for drivers heading west on I-10 is currently closed, but should reopen by next Saturday.

Larry Maucher, senior project manager with the state Transportation Department's Tucson district, said the work was meant to be finished next month, but delays have pushed the completion date to March.

Lynn Arriaga, who hosts the Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show along with her husband, Ray, said the ongoing road work won't affect their show.

"If somebody is really a gem show person, they'll get here - construction or not," she said.

The Rapa River show is held at 292 S. Freeway, along the eastbound frontage road just south of West Congress Street. Earlier this week, tents for the show were going up.

Arriaga recalls going through the frontage road reconstruction from Congress to East 29th Street during the 1998 show. He said that despite the road work and some bad weather, the show wasn't a bust.

"People would moan and groan and complain, but it was still a good show," Arriaga said.

Jean McKnight Guymon, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau, said most gem shows in the Downtown area will be located south of the construction zone.

For shows situated near the construction, McKnight Guymon said, the state Transportation Department has kept the show owners updated about the work.

"There's been good communication," she said. "Show owners aren't surprised to see construction going on."

Another major route into Downtown - East Broadway - will see some traffic restrictions because of ongoing work on a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that spans Broadway just east of the Barraza-Aviation Parkway.

Michael Graham, spokesman for the city Department of Transportation, said the current lane closures will remain in place during the gem show.

One lane of traffic in each direction on Broadway is shut down, leaving two lanes open for motorists.

People headed to shows at Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way, and the Holiday Inn Holidome, 4550 S. Palo Verde Road, won't encounter any delays associated with an Ajo widening project.

The road work - which will widen Ajo to six lanes between South Alvernon Way and South Country Club Road - was set to start next week, but it has been postponed and won't start until April.

Annabelle Quihuis, spokes-woman for the county Department of Transportation, said the project was postponed to avoid causing traffic headaches for gem show attendees and people going to spring training games at Tucson Electric Park.

* Contact Susanna Cañizo at 573-4176 or at slcanizo@azstarnet.com.