MARIETTA - Owners and workers in shops on the Marietta Square all seem to have one thing in common: They are counting down the days until the construction is over.

Fortunately, the city announced Friday morning that completion might be closer than anticipated, as they are gearing up to have all major work on the Square done by April 23, just in time for the Taste of Marietta.

The $1.3 million Square renovation project began Jan. 4, and is financed through Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. It includes the replacement of the Square's water line, which was built in the late 1930s, the installation of brick crosswalks, the resurfacing of some of the streets, and the replacement of several street signals and signs.

Dan Conn, the city's public works director, said the city is finishing up work on the water line on South Park and Roswell streets, and will start paving early next week, which will be from midnight to 9 a.m. on the weekends and 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays. After the paving is finished, Conn said the city will just have to paint lines on the roads and add some additional signs.

"We're very happy to have (the project) complete by the Taste of Marietta, instead of having to break it up," Conn said.

The storeowners are also happy the end is in sight. They are largely ready for the bulldozers and jackhammers to leave.

"We know that it had to happen, it was just poorly orchestrated," Susie Mauldin owner of Limelight said. "It definitely put a damper on traffic and people visiting the Square."

Mauldin, who owns a gift shop just off the Square on Church Street, said her biggest gripe about the construction was that Church Street was barricaded, preventing cars from accessing her shop.

"We didn't know they were going to barricade Church Street until right before they did it," Mauldin said. "We thought at least one lane would be open."

The store owner went on to say she had been frustrated with the city's effort to move traffic through the Square and that all of the detours moved traffic out of and away from the Square.

But Mauldin agreed with many other storeowners that the construction wasn't the only thing to blame for slower business in the winter months.

"In a less than stellar economy, this just had a big impact on everyone," she said.

Tommy Smith, owner of Tommy's Sandwich Shop, just off the Square on Roswell Street, said that his business has almost been cut in half thanks to the construction and the economy.

Karen Heard owner of the Marietta Wine Market said it was often hard to help people navigate their way through the construction, especially delivery trucks coming to the wine shop.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Heard said of the construction. "But if you know your way around the Square, you knew where to go."

She also noted that the severe winter weather had just as much of an impact on business in the early months of 2010 as the construction.

Heard said this was the first year she and her husband, Randall, had to close the store because of bad weather.

"We're down now from where we were last year, but we're looking forward to having a great spring," Heard said. "The big thing now is just letting people know that it's over."

Down the street, the manager of Jeweler on the Square said the construction has likely reduced her business by at least 60 percent.

"When the economy started getting bad and with the renovation, we started opening nights to make ends meet," said Ginger, who preferred not to give her last name.

The store is now open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights in hopes of luring in restaurant patrons. Jeweler on the Square is also doing its own renovations and plans to revamp store inventory.

Almost all of the merchants agreed, although annoying at times, the construction was a necessary evil.

"We all understand it's something that needed to be done," Heard said. "(The city has) done a great job and time has flown by. We're thrilled to have it done."