EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ongoing road construction along 9 Mile Road in Eastpointe is causing major headaches not just for drivers but for small businesses, who say it is impacting their bottom line.
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Just as Phase Two of construction starts to wrap up, Phase Three will soon be underway — and business owners worry a potential "road diet" could hurt foot traffic even more.
The ongoing construction along 9 Mile Road is not just slowing down drivers; it's also hitting local businesses hard, causing more pain than progress.
"Everybody is suffering," said John Spagnuolo, an Eastpointe resident.
"It's just been a real struggle here the past - for the past few months," said Fady Dawd, an Eastpointe business owner.
"It has slowed our business dramatically," said David DeRonne, owner of DeRonne Hardware.
On 9 Mile Road in Eastpointe between Tuscany and Gratiot, lanes are closed, sidewalks are torn up, and customer access is limited.
"Honestly, with this construction, I'll be lucky if I see three customers a day," Dawd said.
A project meant to improve the road in the long run is creating a tough environment for small business owners in the short term, like Dawd, who is paying $1,600 a month out of pocket for rent, not including utilities, just to keep his cell phone store open.
Web Extra: 'It's been a real struggle.' Interview with cell phone shop owner about 9 Mile construction
"I've been working every single day, basically, just because of the construction. I can't hire a worker because I don't have the money to hire the worker," Dawd said.
Eastpointe resident John Spagnuolo, who has lived on 9 Mile since 1996, says his biggest concerns are the sidewalks and the recently poured cement on his side of the street.
"The biggest part is the slope. I mean, somebody is going to fall. It needs to be flat," Spagnuolo said.
Ian McCain, City of Eastpointe Economic Development Manager, says the city has been paying attention to businesses affected by construction.
"We've been paying particular attention to focusing on and supporting those businesses that have been adversely impacted with the construction," McCain said.
McCain says the city has a list of business support organizations to help with funding and to keep businesses afloat during this construction, and they are trying to get Phase Two of three completed.
Web Extra: Economic development manager for Eastpointe discusses construction on 9 Mile
"We are trying to get everything wrapped up and get things back to normal as quickly as possible," McCain said.
At DeRonne's Hardware Store, owner David DeRonne says the construction has impacted his business already, and they're not even in the middle of the construction zone.
"It's been tough, we've had to shorten our schedule, which we don't like to do, and we have crew losing hours," DeRonne said.
With Phase Two wrapping up, the plans for Phase Three are still up in the air, along with the road diet reducing 9 Mile Road from five lanes to three lanes — something DeRonne is against, saying it will only impact businesses more.
"To have it reduced anywhere doesn't make any sense," DeRonne said.
Phase Two of construction should be wrapping up by the end of September, according to the City of Eastpointe.
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