The city of Austin will start converting East Fifth Street to a two-way thoroughfare next month, and residents have a chance to provide input or ask questions Wednesday about the process.

The July 19 open-house meeting will allow residents to learn about the project, which aims to improve mobility and traffic flow through downtown. The portion of the East Fifth roadway being converted to two-way traffic flow spans Brazos Street to the I-35 southbound frontage road. Once complete, this section of East Fifth will contain one westbound lane and two eastbound lanes.

The move comes after Capital Metro revealed plans to build a permanent MetroRail station on Fourth Street and close through traffic to vehicles. The agency plans to restrict traffic on Fourth between Red River and Trinity streets for pedestrian and bicycle use only. Traffic on Neches Street will end in a culdesac at Fourth Street.

The meeting starts at noon at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce board room, 535 E. Fifth St., Austin, on the second floor.