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Downtown business owners are trying to ride out the wave of road work rumbling through Lebanon this spring.

Doc's Tavern chef Sean Vernon said there was a downturn in lunch business this week as parts of Mulberry Street were closed for water main replacement.

"At least they chose to do it now rather than the summer," Vernon said. "It's better to cut into a slower time for us rather than the more busy months."

"Any time you have roadwork in your central business district, it will be an inconvenience," said Lebanon Mayor Amy Brewer. "We appreciate businesses understanding nicer roads are important to keeping the vitality of the area."

Picture This owner Becky George Gebhart said she wasn't receiving a lot of walk-in business lately but was unsure whether to attribute that to the roadwork or the bad weather.

Your guide to Lebanon detours

With detour signs popping up in Lebanon faster than spring flowers, even a seasoned business owner like Becky George Gebhart has trouble knowing where to go.

"It can be aggravating," said Gebhart, owner of downtown Lebanon business Picture This. "I'm never sure what streets are going to be open or closed, or which road to take home."

Even Lebanon Mayor Amy Brewer admits a touch of "flexibility" is necessary to navigate the torn pavement of Lebanon's downtown.

"Our roads and the safety of those roads is a top priority," Brewer said. "There's a lot of road work that needs to be completed to make them safe."

With an eye toward heading off any potential road rage, here's a guide of roadwork already on the map and more to come:

Where: West Silver Street/Ohio 123 between West and Broadway

The work: The most extensive of Lebanon's many projects, West Silver is being completely retooled with new sewer lines, storm sewers, curbs and gutters.

Detour: Take Broadway and Main around the area and reconnect to Ohio 123 via Markey Road.

Destination: Silver will reopen in September.

Where: Broadway between Main and Warren; Mulberry between Sycamore and Mechanic; West between Main and Silver

The work: Replacing water mains beneath downtown roads.

Detour: The construction has resulted in narrowing Broadway to three or even two lanes on occasion and the outright closure of blocks on Mulberry for three to five days at a time.

Destination: Plans call for downtown to return to a state of normalcy by the end of May.

Where: Dave Avenue between Main and Mound Court; Walnut between Mound and Summit Street;

The work: Replacement and installation of storm sewers began this week.

Detour: Lebanon engineer Darren Owens said that although much of the plan calls for night construction on these roads, Dave between Main and the entrance to Gold Star Chili is closed due to unforeseen utility conflicts.

Destination: All roads will lead back to Gold Star within three weeks, according to Owens. The complete project is expected to be finished by mid-June.

Where: Monroe Road between Broadway to Horseshoe Falls Drive; Fujitec Drive between the Ohio 48 Bypass and Kingsview Drive; Joyce Court; Julie Court; Gregory Court; Huntley Court; Kuntz Court; Evelyn Court; and Katherine Avenue (depending on available funds).

The work: These southeast roads are due for a shining coat of asphalt with Lebanon's scheduled street repaving in the fall.

Detour: According to Owens, street repaving takes little time and should result in closures of at most two to three hours. With street repaving also comes enforced sidewalk repair at the homeowner's expense.

Destination: Street repavement is scheduled for September and October.

Where: Cook Road between Covenant Way and the Ohio 48 Bypass.

The work: Plans call to widen the road and possible add left turn lanes onto the bypass.

Detour: As this plan is still in development, nothing has been determined yet.

Destination: According to Lebanon's Web site, construction is anticipated to begin in July or August and looks to be completed by the end of November.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.