As the city of Leander continues road construction on Old FM 2243, some local businesses located at the corner of Old FM 2243 and Bagdad Road are experiencing both positive and negative effects of the construction.
In January, the city began work on the project, which includes widening Old FM 2243 from two to five lanes between US 183 and west of North Lakeline Boulevard.
Work on the estimated $24 million expansion is scheduled to last until October or November 2017, according to Leander City Engineer Wayne Watts.
Since the start of the project, Chris Fielder, the owner of Upland Outfitters and mayor of Leander, said his business has seen about a 30 percent drop in sales compared to June 2015. He said Business Park 2243, where Upland Outfitters is located, has seen less traffic since drivers and pedestrians seem to be avoiding the area.
“The road construction crew has done a very good job of keeping two lanes open, which is how the road has always been, but people are still avoiding the area just because of the construction,” Fielder said. “So we have seen a decline in some business.”
Business Park 2243 restaurants Farm to Fork and Cherry Creek Catfish Restaurant have also been affected by the construction. Farm to Fork owner and chef Shelley Pogue said the construction has affected her restaurant slightly during lunch hours, but said the time period could also be slower than usual because teachers are out of school for summer break. Cherry Creek Manager Molly McCain also said lunch hours have been affected.
“[The construction has] definitely slowed us down some,” she said. “We’re probably seeing at least a [25] to 30 percent loss.”
Laurie Frederick, the general manager of Booster Bingo, also located in Business Park 2243, said she has not yet seen a major impact on her business because of construction, but she said the extra signage in the area has caused confusion for some of her senior customers. Watts said Old FM 2243 closed July 12 for a few days, and Frederick said she is concerned that closings will impact more of her customers.
“We haven’t experienced major effects yet, but we are pretty concerned about the closures,” she said.
Although some businesses have seen fewer customers, Smokey Mo’s Bar-B-Q on Old FM 2243 has seen an increase in lunch sales since it is frequented by some of the road’s construction workers, Assistant Manager Scott Blauen said. Although lunch sales have increased, dinner sales at the barbecue eatery have decreased slightly, he said.
“Surprisingly we’re still able to keep our numbers about average,” Blauen said. “They’re a little under average, but nothing too noticeable.”
Enchanted Rock and Landscape Supplies has experienced a decline in customers, but Manager Gwen Cacciatore said the business is fortunate to have an entrance off Old FM 2243 and another on Bagdad.
Cacciatore said she has no complaints with the city since city staff has been communicative with the businesses in the area.
“They come in and communicate with us periodically; they try to keep us informed and up to date on the progress and delays as they happen,” she said. “They’ve been very attentive.”
Fielder said the city relaxed its sign ordinance enforcement so the area businesses could put out signs letting customers know that the businesses are still open. He also said the Business Park 2243 landlord added two additional driveways into the complex.
Fielder said he expected traffic to decrease during the construction period because of his familiarity with past city projects. He and other business owners also said they knew about the project and its scope when it was set to begin.
“We’ve all known that it was going to start, and it’s one of those things where we all want it, and we want to get it done because it’s going to be great once it’s finished,” he said. “We just have to weather the storm a little bit.”
