LEWISTON – Maineiacs hockey fans and Birch Street drivers should be prepared for delays and inconveniences as games begin next month.

Colisee General Manager Wayne Thornton said police will close Birch Street in front of the ice arena to all but game traffic on game days. Both lanes of Birch will turn into one-way eastbound lanes at Bartlett Street, feeding fans directly into the Colisee’s parking lot.

That should be a permanent change, he said, designed to fix game-time traffic snarls in other parts of town.

“Last year, they had traffic backups all the way to Lisbon Street,” Thornton said. “We think this should get cars into the Colisee faster and cut down the time they spend on the road.”

Police Sgt. James Rioux said police will also close the other end of Bartlett Street, where it meets Barron Avenue and Caron Street. Only Maineiacs VIP parking pass holders will be allowed through.

The area of Bartlett Street between the Colisee’s southwestern lot and the upper lot will be closed and used for employee parking.

“We need a place to put Colisee employees, but we’re not going to take both sides of the street,” Thornton said.

Two-way traffic on Birch Street will resume after the game, Rioux said.

The changes will begin at the Maineiacs’ home opener, scheduled for Oct. 1, when they play against Acadie-Bathurst. The front of the Colisee is being renovated and the front entrances will be open for that game, but nothing else, Thornton said.

“We’re asking people to bear with us, for those first eight or 10 games,” he said. “It’s going to take some patience, but it’s going to be worth it in the end.”

Season ticket-holders and people with advance tickets will be allowed to go right into the Colisee once the arena opens, about an hour before game time. People who have to buy tickets will be directed up the stairs and to the back edge of the upper parking lot, where a temporary box office is set up. They won’t be able to choose their seats, but will have to take the best seats available at the time.

“That’s there to keep the line moving,” Thornton said. “If they want to pick certain seats, they need to do it before the day of the game.”

Thornton said the new box office should open in November at the Colisee’s main entrance.

“Until we get that open, we know it’s going to be inconvenient,” Thornton said. “We’re just trying to do the best we can until we’re finished.”