Lawrence city commissioners unanimously agreed to temporarily close a portion of New Hampshire Street to accommodate construction of a new downtown hotel.

But commissioners at their Tuesday evening meeting did agree to a slight change in plans for the street closure. Commissioners would allow the section of New Hampshire from Ninth Street to the midblock crossing near the Lawrence Arts Center to be completely closed to traffic from Oct. 7 to Oct. 18 — except that one lane of traffic for southbound motorists would be open during the weekend of Oct. 11 through Oct. 13.

The partial street opening would make access to the Lawrence Arts Center easier for a conference of nearly 400 English teachers who will be using the center that weekend.

The hotel’s construction crew asked for the street closure in order to move a storm sewer that is in the way of the excavation that is being done for the multistory hotel and retail building under construction at the southeast corner of Ninth and New Hampshire streets.