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Saturday, May 10, 2008
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Northeast firms wondering where customers have gone MILL AVENUE PROJECT Senior Reporter First they saw the street lights, then the curb and finally the road disappear.
Mill Avenue businesses close to the Mississippi River bridge have the feeling they are at the end of a forgotten trail. The road is blocked for travel north at the H Street intersection. Beyond that the formerly busy road is devoid of traffic beyond earthmovers.
"We never dreamt there wouldn't be cars going by the road - period," said Joan Grunewald, owner of the Holiday gas station and convenience store on Mill Avenue across from Wausau Paper. Getting to the businesses at the end of the line, before the road crosses the river, is doable. But it means traveling on the side streets.
With bait and fishing tackle prominent options in the Holiday store, the missing ingredient is the traffic traveling on the highway toward Crosslake and points north. Grunewald said it's like being the last stop at a dead end. Business is down 70 percent, Grunewald said. In response, Holiday has cut hours and has fewer employees than usual for this time of year.
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The Crow Wing County Mill Avenue reconstruction project, which has transformed the landscape near Wausau Paper. The road is blocked off for traffic going north at the H Street intersection with side streets available as alternate routes. The Mill Avenue bridge in northeast Brainerd closed April 14, but may reopen in late June.
Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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"You just barely make it (through the winter) and you just wait for the tourists to come back," Grunewald said. "We've had the store for 15 years. It will take us time to recover."
Across the street at Highway 25 Liquor, owner Paul Andersen watched the earthmoving equipment through the glass. He said it was cheap entertainment. The tidy store was empty of customers. But there was a mini rush of three people a few minutes later.
"They sure have you guys roped off back here," said one customer.
Even after talking about the road project for a year, Andersen said it's hard to realize how bad it is going to be. In the road project's first week, Andersen said his business was down 43 percent. Now in May, it's down 50 percent to 55 percent, Andersen said.
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The trees bordering Wausau Paper are one of the remaining landmarks as road construction work alters the familiar view along Mill Avenue in northeast Brainerd. The Mississippi River bridge, which is being renovated, is currently closed and construction work on the road has it closed from the bridge to the H Street intersection. Access to the parks, businesses and neighborhoods is available on side streets. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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"That was the slowest April I had in 10 years," Andersen said. "So I don't even want to think where this May is going to rate."
But there have been positives as loyal customers make the effort to reach the stores.
"I think the neighborhood has been good to us," Andersen said. "It's been real tough but there have been a lot of positives from people."
Andersen said Wausau employees have made an extra effort to stop in and shop knowing the businesses need all the help they can get to make it through this construction. The players at the nearby softball fields help. And the Blue Thunder baseball games are expected to bring people to the end of the road.
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The Holiday gas station and convenience store and Highway 25 Liquor report major losses of business as the Mill Avenue construction and closed Mississippi River bridge detour traffic away from them at the start of the busy season. Business owners say they just want people to know they are still open and accessible via side roads. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
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The bridge is expected to open June 27 and may be opened earlier. The big detour will end then with local roads used to move traffic around the road work that is expected to continue into October.
Lyndon Robjent, Crow Wing County highway engineer, said he is hopeful the Mill Avenue bridge may be opened earlier than expected, but it's too soon to determine that for sure.
Both Andersen and Grunewald say they know the road work is needed and this year may be the best spring ever as the cold weather has delayed weekend traffic anyway. Mainly they hope people will remember they are still open even if the main road isn't. They hope the new road will bring people back, but they worry about changed habits as old customers find new routes and stick to them.
Grunewald said: "The sooner they are done the better off we'll all be."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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