Solution in Sight for the Mess on Castro Valley Boulevard?

A silver lining in the downtown construction and traffic hassle could show up as early as Wednesday morning, when Supervisor Nate Miley and other Alameda County officials will share new findings and solutions.

Mark your calendar for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in the Daugherty Building at 3295 Castro Valley Boulevard. Bring your questions and suggestions.

Miley and other county officials walked the construction zone and talked with merchants on April 19. Shortly afterward, behind a building the county recently purchased for Castro Valley redevelopment.

Construction for the streetscape project on Castro Valley Boulevard between and Redwood Road is expected to continue for more than a year.

Business has dropped as much as 30 percent since the construction began in October, merchants told Miley. That's on top of losses due to the recession.

Patch has written and published photos and videos about the problem numerous times:

This remained in Patch's Top Five stories for more than two weeks. It captures the essence of the atmosphere downtown and how people are changing their ways in response to it.

This depicts the experience of someone who wanted to cross the street on foot but instead had to drive 0.6 miles to reach her destination.

Here are photos of and talking with merchants on April 19.

Here are photos making it easier to find the .

Here's what the finished project will look like.