Business owners voice road construction worries to city

The nuisance of navigating road construction on the west end of Fairfield is deterring some customers from local businesses.

Upset by the toll roadwork on Burlington Avenue is taking on their restaurants, two small-business owners appealed to the Fairfield City Council Monday evening for a solution. The council, in response, pledged to educate the public about alternate routes and supporting local businesses.

After an increase in property taxes and the start of the recession, Fairfield Family Restaurant owner Asli Theobald said she had been hoping for a strong summer to bring in revenue, but road construction is contributing to a loss of customers.

Jill Dahlstrom, owner of Yummy?s Gourmet Cakes, said her business also has been impacted.

?I have a definite amount of repeat customers that aren?t coming right now ? just literally, it?s the road construction,? Dahlstrom said, explaining the traffic cones are especially intimidating for many older drivers.

Although Dahlstrom felt her business, which includes a regional bakery, will survive the construction, she said others may not.

Rather than working on long stretches of road at a time, Theobald inquired about completing the project in smaller sections so businesses would be blocked for a shorter amount of time.

Additionally, the two said the closure of the western Highway 34 exit has compounded the problem.

Linda Mustoe, vice president of Orscheln Farm and Home Supply, also submitted a letter to the council requesting the exit remain open until after repairs on Burlington Avenue are completed.

?The current repairs reducing Burlington Avenue to one lane have negatively affected our Fairfield store?s retail sales. During this time of national economic challenge, we ask the city of Fairfield to support local business and protect the community tax base by keeping this vital exit open,? Mustoe wrote.

Pete Tollenaere, assistant district engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, said the agreement to rehabilitate Burlington Avenue before jurisdiction is transferred to the city was worked out roughly a year ago. He explained the process of resurfacing the road involves a series of steps completed by different contractors ? one contractor removes the asphalt, another contractor completes patching and yet another replaces the asphalt.

?To do things in extremely small sections is really not very efficient at all and would draw the project out longer,? Tollenaere said.

At this point, Tollenaere said most of the patching between 20th Street and 32nd Street is done, and Norris Asphalt should begin putting in the first layer of asphalt this week. Then, he said construction will move to the section of road between Ninth Street and 20th Street.

In response to complaints about the exit closure, Tollenaere said the bridge repairs necessitating the closure could not be staged. Because the bridge over Mitchell Creek only has two girders, he explained completing the work in phases was not an option.

He also said constructing a parallel route was not a viable option when other exits to Fairfield already exist.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.