Know before you head to Tempe. A section of downtown Tempe will be closed this summer.  Construction crews are building the new streetcar line and it will require a portion of Mill Avenue to be shut down.

“We are taking the summer, when ASU is out of sessions, to lay streetcar track in the downtown portion of Mill Avenue between University Drive and Rio Salado Parkway that will be closed beginning today through Aug. 15,” said Amanda Nelson, the spokeswoman for Tempe’s transportation division.

Only northbound traffic will be affected, and the residences and businesses will still be accessible.

“People will just need to access them from a different angle,” she said. They can be accessed by Ash Avenue or College Avenue. It’s also encouraged for commuters to use public transit options during the closure.

Demolition work will be daily from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Track setting and concrete placement will be from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m.

The project, which is shared by Tempe’s Public Works and Valley Metro and will cost $200 million. Most of the funds will be from the Proposition 400 sales tax.

The 14-station, 3-mile route includes two light-rail connections and takes riders from Marina Heights near Town Lake to Apache Boulevard toward McClintock Drive.

Streetcars are expected to be in operation in 2021.