ATLANTA — Owners of several businesses along Cheshire Bridge Road say they’ve learned the scheduled reopening of the road following a bridge fire has been delayed until mid-May.
“They said it was going to be open on April 1st. And as a result of that not just myself but all the other businesses on Cheshire Bridge are affected,” Buckhead Vacuums owner Jeff Cohen told Channel 2′s Tom Regan.
A fire in a homeless encampment under the bridge near Faulkner Road in December cause significant structural damage to the bridge.
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After the fire, city transportation officials closed the road near the bridge, leading to detours.
Businesses say the detours are causing customers who would normally come to them go elsewhere.
It’s the second time in three years that bridge related damage has resulted in closing part of busy corridor.
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“The city really needs to do something about this. We’re asking for grants to cover our loses or at least a tax credit.,” car wash owner David Martino told Channel 2 Action News.
“It’s really putting a hurt on our business and it’s really tough to support my employees and the city needs to do something,” Martino continued.
He added that pollen season is a prime time for car washes, and that his business is taking a major financial toll because of the bridge fire and road closing.
“It has affected out business with over $180,000′s worth of income lost this winter. And it’s continuing to cause traffic not to come this way to this part of town and is hurting all the local businesses,” Martino said.
City transportation officials said a variety of reconstruction issues have pushed back reopening of road until May with completion of repairs set for end of the month.
“Project progress has been delayed by property access negotiations, site preparation, required document approvals, and inclement weather. We understand the urgency of restoring access to this road for the community and stakeholders. Our goal is to complete construction quickly, with safety as the highest priority,” officials said.
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