A delay of at least a year on finishing a $6.3 million road project on South Congress Avenue from Foremost Drive to Eberhart Lane in South Austin has nearby businesses—some of which are less than a year old—anticipating the project’s completion.
On July 24, construction crews pulled barricades from closed lanes and opened all five lanes.
The Texas Department of Transportation widened the 1.35-mile stretch of Congress from three lanes to five—two in each direction and a center left-turn lane—and adding upgraded drainage facilities, new sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
Work has been in progress for more than a year on a project to widen South Congress Avenue and add safety features such as sidewalks and crosswalk updates. The project area extends from Eberhart Lane to Foremost Drive.[/caption]
“The project will enhance safety and mobility for motorists on this heavily-traveled roadway,” TxDOT area engineer Victor Vargas said.
Construction began in October 2014 and was originally scheduled to be complete in fall 2015. The target completion date was updated earlier this year to a late spring completion after traffic was moved to the newly paved side of the road in mid-March.
Project contractor Dan Williams Company will continue working the project until later this summer, according to TxDOT.
Employees in some nearby businesses said they expected the construction to finish in the spring and are wondering why work continues.
“[The construction] has been a nightmare for me,” said Anabelia Berglie, owner of Texas Nails & Music at 6501 S. Congress Ave., Ste. 2-207.
Berglie opened the nail salon in September 2015 in a shopping center built in 2014. Berglie said she was aware that construction started before she opened the business, but she did not expect work to continue near the salon’s one-year anniversary.
Texas Nails & Music had to close Monday hours of operation because of slow business, Berglie said. She added that she is unsure if the salon will be able to stay open.
“It is one thing to try to get people to know that we exist, but the road construction is keeping people away from the area,” Berglie said.
Other local businesses that opened a year or less ago in the center include Yo So Cool and Daylight Dental.
Nearby employees also spoke about how construction moved traffic to one lane in each direction, causing safety and traffic concerns.
Daylight Dental receptionist Gladis Ordaz said traffic on Congress became slow each day from Stassney Lane to William Cannon Drive starting at 3 p.m. because of the limited number of lanes.
“It is hard to get out of the shopping center in the afternoon because of the traffic and the [traffic] lights taking forever,” Ordaz said.
