South Congress work affects businesses

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.