Lansing, Michigan (WILX) – Anyone who has had to drive down Grand River Avenue or Okemos Road past Okemos knows how difficult it can be. Some avoid the area altogether.
more: WILX News 10 Live Traffic Map
Most drivers and business owners on Grand River Avenue say they welcome improvements to the road, but that’s not cause for concern. The question is when the improvement will be completed. From the pandemic to months of construction, they said the business wasn’t as good as it should have been.
“We were okay, but it’s certainly a disappointment. I think the numbers were higher,” said Brandon Decker, co-owner of Okemos’ Mart’s Specialty Meat.
Despite losing money, Decker said the community kept its doors open during the construction season.
“We have a very loyal customer base and I know they have literally gone out of their way to make sure they support us during times like this. I think many of our neighbors were in much worse shape than we were,” Decker said.
And Decker is right. Lotte’s market owner Jay Park said sales were down about 40% just ahead. His customer base is old and has avoided orange barrels as much as possible.
Playmaker said it’s going to be fine this summer — it hasn’t stopped people from coming.
“It’s probably a little inconvenient for people to get to us, but Hamilton has other access points to get to Mount Hope from Okemos, Grand River and the Indian Hills behind us,” McMillan said. I was. .
But it wasn’t so easy for other companies along the Grand River.
Today, Decker is working with Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh, MDOT, and state representatives to make building Grand River a priority.
“It’s really not an easy way to get here because all the other corridors that used to have less traffic now have more traffic. There are so many different projects going on in the same community.” So it was difficult for residents and businesses,” Decker said.
Business owners say that 105 days of road construction reduced profits by more than 15% to 30%. This dates back to the peak of COVID.
To encourage traffic, the Meridian Area Business Association will host Mob the Roadblock on August 31, 2022.
Next:
subscribe News 10 Newsletter Get the latest local news and weather directly to your email every morning.
Copyright 2022 WILX. All rights reserved.
