VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IN (WFIE) - The redevelopment commission gave more green lights Tuesday to all the red tape needed to get work started on Evansville's downtown arena.

Arena project manager John Kish said details are still being worked out with the Executive Inn's new owner, United Central Bank of Garland Texas, and the city. Until then, demolition can't begin.

In the meantime, a local labor agreement got ironed out and traffic patterns during construction received approval from the commission Tuesday morning.

Although ground has not been broken yet downtown to start building the new arena, an agreement has been reached among the redevelopment commission, Hunt construction and the Building Trades Council of Southwestern Indiana to make sure hundreds of local workers are hired to complete the project.

"An agreement of this nature ensures there will be no work disputes that slow down the process in any way whatsoever," an attorney with Bingham McHale LLP said. "No strikes, no picketing."

Now that a labor agreement is in place, builders can submit bids for various parts of the project.

The details behind the way traffic will flow once construction begins also received unanimous approval by the commission.

Right now, the plan calls for traffic to be shifted to one lane between Walnut and Main Street on Martin Luther King Boulevard, closing the south bound lane.

The plan also calls for a closure of Locust.  

"We could close 6th street between Main Street and Walnut to facilitate construction," Jeff Justice with Hafer Associates said.

Justice said the goal is to keep Main Street open for access to Signature School.

Parent, Toni Schaperjohn is afraid the new traffic patterns will cause problems as she drops off her daughter in the morning before heading to work downtown at AT&T.

"It's crazy enough to get down there right now with all the traffic on the Lloyd Expressway being rerouted," Schaperjohn said. "To re-route the traffic down there as well is going to make commuting a bear, also making getting kids to and from school ridiculous. Not only that, but kids come to school all at once and leave all at the same time."

The redevelopment commission also approved a $10,000 study to survey the Main Street properties to see how much of the buildings can be preserved for their history.

The next redevelopment commission meeting is September 29.

Source: WFIE