July 18, 2002
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Construction along Maple Avenue in Vienna is taking its toll on the businesses along the .57 mile stretch; extending from Park Street to East Street.
The Maple Avenue Construction Project began May 10 and is expected to end in October, according to Capital Project Engineer Glen Bates. The goal of the project is to make brick sidewalks, add brick crosswalks at all intersections, improve the street lighting with ornamental fixtures, along with other changes.
The construction has slowed traffic and halted all left turns along the road. Without the left-turn option at traffic lights, drivers are forced to find another way across the street. Manager Dina Barkzai of the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Vienna believes that the construction has made it “very difficult for [drivers].” Orange construction drums line most of one side of the street, filling an entire lane.
One store, Excel gas station with a Meineke station located co-dependently, had its grand opening in mid-June. One of the employees, Joey Pedralvez, said, there's "no business, maybe six more months [until] it picks up.”
The poor business has been accompanied by complaints from customers, said Pedralvez. One of the station’s entrances is completely blocked by construction, and the other is hidden between orange drums.
Pedralvez is sure that the construction is the source of the poor business because “Saturdays are our best days [because] they aren’t here.”
EXCEL IS NOT the only business that has been affected by the recent construction. Local fast-food chains have been, as well.
Tahira Malik, manager of the Wendy’s on Maple Avenue, stated that there has been a drop in business. She believes that the change is about “2 percent down” from what it was before the construction began.
The result has forced Wendy’s to order less food due to the drop in demand. “They can’t make a left turn now, and it’s really hurting,” said Malik.
Wendy’s is located on the opposite side of the street from the construction, directly across from the Excel station.
One of the major complaints is that the construction has greatly slowed traffic and has resulted in slowed business. The effect is seen at lunch time during the week, when most consumers are on the road.
Barkzai of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), located on the same side of the street as construction, has noticed the reduced amount of orders and customers, creating slower business from construction. “We are a little bit slow,” said Barkzai.
Orders have dropped at KFC as well. “Before we ordered a lot of chicken. [Now] it’s slow … so now we are not ordering [as much chicken].”
During slow hours of the day, employees are allowed to take breaks, Barkzai commented.
THE SLOW BUSINESS has affected the profit but also the employees themselves, some of whom have been let go.
Barkzai estimates that between five and 10 former employees were let go as a result of the decreased business caused by construction.
Tiffany Poole, a delivery woman for FedEx, has also noticed that with the recent construction her route has slowed down.
Other businesses along the stretch declined to comment on the situation.
While Pedralvez believes that construction should end within the month, Barkzai believes that the construction on the entrance to KFC will only begin soon, leaving her business in an even worse situation.
She believes she knows a way to make the construction more convenient, “I have a suggestion. [They] should do the construction during the nights, [when there is less traffic]” Barkzai said.
Her suggestion has already been partially used, as the contractor is supposed to do as much work as possible during the evening according to their contract with the town.