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CONSTRUCTION
Road closings slow down local businesses
KELSIE JENNINGS
news@kansan.com
news@kansan.com
The nine summer construction projects in Lawrence have done more than disrupt traffic they've also hurt local businesses by shutting down roads that connect them with customers.
On the corner of 31st Street and Louisiana Street sits Steve's Place, a reception hall that's rented out for weddings, graduation parties and other events. Guests could once easily access the hall but now must go out of their way to get to it.
Steve and Helen Meseraull opened the reception hall in May 2003. They've hosted countless weddings and parties within the last 11 years.
Steve said that they wanted to provide a place for couples to get married but not have to worry about spending a lot of money, so they offered affordable prices.
KF1SIF IFNNINGS/KANSAN
Business had been going well until the announcement of the construction and road closure around February.
"I didn't want them to go out and spend that much money when they didn't have to and to have the same amount of fun," he said.
"We try to time a lot of the projects here in Lawrence in the summer, and we start a lot of projects the day after graduation just because we have less traffic and [fewer] students in town," Dave Cronin, a city engineer, said.
The road closure on 31st Street from Louisiana Street to Ousdahl Road is just one of nine construction projects happening now.
The intersection at 23rd Street and Iowa is one of nine locations that has seen heavy construction lately. This construction has negatively affected Lawrence businesses.
"The phone has been dead for four months." Steve said.
The section on 31st Street is expected to open in spring 2015, according to Cronin.
The Meseraults said that they're typically booked every weekend from June to November, but they've had three cancellations for June alone. They only have two weddings booked for July and one for August.
The road closure has also affected next year's business, as engaged couples typically reserve their date a year or more in advance.
"My reservations usually for next year is at least a fourth to a half full by now and I don't have anybody," Steve said.
Steve said he's lost about $25,000 in business this year, which he estimates to be about 70 percent of the annual income.
"It's going to [be] rough for a while," he said. "It might take us two years to get out of it."
they're working to stay afloat despite the loss. In an attempt to keep business going and encourage people to rent the hall they've recently offered a 20 percent discount.
"We're trying to get bookings started up again, so we'll have them for next year, so we put that discount on our website," Helen said.
Devon Lohrenz, a manager at Freddy's, said that at one point both
Just a few minutes away is another major construction project at the intersection of 23rd Street and Iowa Street.
This project has slowed traffic and caused long lines at the stoplight, but it's also slowed down business for Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a restaurant stuck in the middle of the construction zone.
The restaurant also lost business when the drive-thru closed for two days while the parking lot was resurfaced. Lohrenz said that 50 percent of their revenue comes from drive-thru orders, and the two days without it
main entrances to their location were closed and customers had to enter down the block. The restaurant has had less dine-in customers as a result.
was a big loss.
Despite fewer people, the city still experiences congested traffic of regular commuters and city transportation.
Cronin said that they try to give fair notice of the construction projects and asks that citizens be patient and avoid the projects if possible.
— Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
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