Local business owners say they have lost business since many drivers have found alternative routes to avoid traffic in the construction zone.PALMYRA TOWNSHIP, MI (Toledo News Now) - Dozens of people in one Lenawee County township are fed up after they say construction on a bridge is taking longer than it should.
People, especially business owners, are worried there is no end in sight.
"Not only is this construction project tying up traffic, but it's having a major impact on local businesses," said Tom, owner of Village Carry Out.
Standstill traffic is what one carry out owner sees each time he looks out the window. Bridge construction on U.S. Route 223 in Palmyra Township has been going on since April, squeezing traffic into one lane. Many drivers have found a different route.
Business owners in the area say this could be one of their worst summers ever since many drivers have started taking different routes, cutting their daytime business by as much as 50 percent.
"Not good, but what could I do about it? I talked to the state about it, and other people talked to the state about it. The fire department did. The township did. And basically, we didn't get nowhere," explained Tom.
Michigan Department of Transportation officials say the goal is to have construction complete by early November. Still, it is a date some business owners feel is not soon enough.
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