Photo provided by: Emma Delk
Andrew Hollis, owner of Wheelcraft Bicycles, is enjoying the tranquility of the closure of the Monument Place Bridge, which means less traffic in front of his store.
WHEELING — More than a month after the Monument Place Bridge was closed for repairs, Elm Grove business owners are experiencing a variety of impacts on their properties.
Some business owners have seen little or no drop in sales due to the closure of neighborhood arteries that began April 15 and will continue through the end of the year. Others are inconvenienced by drivers crossing parking lots to avoid traffic detours.
For Wheelcraft Bicycles owner Andrew Hollis, the positives of the closure far outweigh the negatives, and he admitted last Thursday that he wouldn't mind if the bridge wasn't reopened.
For Hollis, the most notable benefit of the closure is that traffic in front of the store has been “significantly reduced,” meaning the amount of road noise reaching the store has been significantly reduced.
“The first day the bridge was closed I was shocked. It was so quiet it was like the electricity went out,” Hollis said. “Before the bridge closed, there was noise all day long in front of the store because people were revving their engines.”
Hollis said the store now eliminates road noise, making the experience for customers test-riding bikes in the parking lot more pleasant.
“It's much more peaceful now,” Hollis said. “I can open the front door because there are no cars passing by. I'm glad the truck doesn't rattle the window.”
Aside from the peace and quiet inside the store, Hollis said it's been a “normal summer” business-wise. Before the bridge closure, he predicted massive traffic jams in front of stores from 3pm to 6pm, reducing the afternoon rush. Hollis has so far encountered neither.
The downside to the Hollis District closure is that drivers will illegally cut into parking lots to avoid traffic on Lumber Avenue, a local detour for the closure. The official detour from the West Virginia Department of Highways is Interstate 70, exiting and exiting at the Elm Grove or Washington Avenue exits.
Mr Hollis added that more residents cut into the parking lot of the nearby WesBanco Bank, leading to “several collisions”.
“People aren't passing through our property all day long,” added Wheelcraft Bicycles employee Bob Turner. “Sometimes I have someone else do it for me, but it's no big deal. The biggest problem is that it's too fast.”
Patty Contraguerro, owner of Patty's Hair Shop, also enjoys the quiet, low-traffic setting.
Before the closure, Contraguero didn't expect the bridge closure to have much of an impact on his business because his store is further away from the bridge and relies on walk-in customers. After a month, Contraguero realized that his prediction was accurate.
“I haven't felt any effects,” Contraguero said. “That was good because there was always traffic here around 3 p.m. (when Monument Bridge opened). I don't feel like it's affecting business, so it's good.”
Contragero added that while business is going “pretty well,” she is concerned about how businesses near the bridge will survive the closure. He noted that residents may be less interested in visiting certain stores because of the lack of parking at other stores in the area due to construction.
“For me, it's not a big deal to park my car and then walk somewhere. But some people get upset if they can't park where they want to go,” Contraguero explained. “It's not bad to walk here, but people can be lazy sometimes.”
Angela Truong, owner of Silver Chopsticks, also said her business “hasn't been hit hard” by the bridge closure and that business “is doing well at the moment.”
“Most days, our lunch server told us that our rush hour was normal,” she said. “It's a little inconvenient, but our regular customers often come here. Locals know how to get around the closures.”
Truong added that traffic conditions in the area were “not too bad” but that he saw several cars speeding through the restaurant's parking lot to avoid the detour.
After hearing “all the negatives” surrounding the closure until April 15, Christie Ferguson, owner of Elite Massage Therapy and president of the Grove Business Association, said the biggest impact of the closure will be drivers being forced to take detours. I'm glad I was able to adapt.
Ferguson works on Lumber Avenue and has seen “several speeding tickets” given to drivers who were unfamiliar with the area's speed limits and took detours. She noticed a police presence along the detour, which Ferguson hopes will reduce speed limit violations and illegal parking cuts.
Ferguson also said that drivers cut into her parking lot “frequently,” and she and her employees now park their cars in a way that prevents people from passing through the lot.
“When school ends between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m., there's a little bit more traffic through here, so there's a little bit of congestion in front of my store, but it clears up quickly,” Ferguson said. he added. “The traffic at 5 o'clock is the same, so it's a bit congested, but it seems to clear up quickly.”
Ferguson added that he has also not received any complaints from residents along Overbrook Avenue who were concerned about adding traffic to their neighborhood since Lumber Avenue is so close to the street.
Another group that Ferguson has yet to hear complaints about the closure is members of the Elm Grove Business Association.
“The bridge seems to be moving along quickly and the project is on schedule, so I think we're all happy with that,” she said. “Initially there was a lot of negativity and concern, and I fielded a lot of questions and calls. To be honest, it ended up not being that big of a deal.”
Ferguson said he hopes the impact of the closure will be minimal throughout the year, but noted Elm Grove business owners and residents may experience the same inconvenience when the Schilling Bridge is replaced next year. .
“It's coming soon. It's probably going to make things a little more complicated, but drivers only have to drive another 100 feet,” Ferguson added. “It's a good thing that this work is being done on these structures, and we're very fortunate to have avoided a catastrophe due to the aging of these bridges.”
