By now, Lou Grippo is all too familiar with construction around Market Square.

On his one side, the former G.C. Murphy store is in the midst of an overhaul. Behind him, the Buhl Building is undergoing a $3.3 million face-lift. A block away, three old buildings are getting a new lease on life.

If nothing else, the work should prepare Mr. Grippo and his restaurant, the Original Oyster House, for the main event -- the reconstruction of Market Square itself.

That $5 million makeover is scheduled to begin Aug. 1, according to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. And as the construction gods would have it, it will start in front of the Oyster House.

The good news is that the work won't block access to any of the Market Square businesses. People will be able to visit all stores and restaurants throughout the project, said Patty Burk, the partnership's vice president of housing and economic development.

"People will still be able to get their Oyster House fish sandwich, their La Gondola pizza slice or their Primanti's sandwich," she said.

Work will start in the quadrant closest to the Oyster House and move in a counterclockwise direction around the square, ending in the section closest to Starbucks Coffee in May.

Bids will go out this month, and a contract is expected to be awarded in July.

The project is designed to transform the city's oldest public square into one "worthy of new Pittsburgh," said Joanna Doven, spokeswoman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

"This is all part of the third renaissance. Market Square is integral in ensuring we will move forward in that third renaissance," she said.

As part of the work, Market Square will be leveled to give it the feel of a European piazza and to make it more pedestrian friendly. All buses will be removed, and cars will be redirected from Forbes Avenue around the square.

There will be outdoor seating throughout the square. Sidewalks will be extended to 21 feet. Trees, tables and decorative stone surfaces will be added.

"It's going to be this beautiful urban oasis with great small events," Ms. Burk said. "It will be just a pleasure to be in."

Still, Mr. Grippo and other merchants are greeting the project with a mixture of hope and trepidation. While they support the overall transformation, they fear the work could drive some customers away in the short term even though they still will have access to restaurants and other businesses.

"Nobody likes construction and we're all holding our breath about what it will do to our businesses in the short run. Obviously we all want the new square," said Nick Nicholas, owner of Nicholas Coffee.

"As long as they maintain access and do [the work] quadrant by quadrant, that seems to be the least disruptive way to do it."

For Mr. Grippo and Sergio Muto, owner of La Gondola Pizzeria and Restaurant, their biggest concern is that half of about 36 parking spaces in the square will be eliminated in the transformation. Both said parking is an important part of their takeout business, and that the reduction in spaces could hurt that.

"That's the only thing that worries me," Mr. Muto said.

Mr. Grippo said he was hoping to work something out to allow takeout customers to park temporarily on McMasters Way, an alley next to the Oyster House.

Ms. Burk said the partnership believed that the number of spaces that will be left will be adequate, although she added it could require some reflection and adjustment by Market Square merchants. Their employees, for example, may have to find places to park other than in the square itself.

"The changes require some thought. This is a very tight urban environment. It's not a suburban location where there are 10 parking spaces per user," she said.

Mr. Nicholas said he also was concerned that three streets leading into the square -- McMasters, Graeme and Market -- won't be upgraded as part of the project. Ms. Burk said the city didn't have the money to do the work at this time, but hopes to raise the funding in the future.

Overall, despite the various concerns, merchants appear to be enthusiastic about the changes.

"I've been here 30 years. I think this is one of the best ideas they've come up with," Mr. Muto said. "I think it's going to be pretty good. We'll see."