Financial fallout
Bottlenecks pinch economy
2001 roadwork may cost businesses $7.8 million per day
Kathleen Wayt
Taylor Party Store owner Arkan Houbba expects to lose 25-50 percent of his customers next year to construction on Telegraph Road, which is to extend from Ecorse Road to Interstate 75. "If we're lucky, the work will be finished in three or four months," he said.
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By Tanya Albert / The Detroit News
From Taylor to Livonia and from Farmington Hills to Southfield, business owners and commuters already know what next summer's road construction will bring: Slower sales receipts and crawling commutes on stretches of Interstate 96, Northwestern Highway, Southfield Freeway and Telegraph Road.
"We dodge orange barrels somewhere every summer," said Dale Huggins, who owns Gas-N-Glo Auto Wash in Taylor along the stretch of Telegraph Road (M-24) scheduled for reconstruction between Ecorse Road and Interstate 75. "I guess it's our turn."
With construction still months away, many commuters and business owners Wednesday said that the short-term inconvenience will be worth it.
But economists warn that construction will be costly.
A chief economist with Comerica Bank estimates Metro Detroit businesses lose $1.3 million in productivity for every 15 minutes of traffic delay. The potential tab daily with six bottlenecks or road projects: $7.8 million.
Taylor Party Store owner Arkan Houbba, whose had the convenience store on Telegraph Road for 15 years, estimates he'll see business drop 25 percent to 50 percent once construction starts.
"It will be hard because we depend on customers stopping in because it's convenient to pull in," Houbba said. "There are convenient stores every mile. Customers will probably go elsewhere for a while."
Still, he says, the construction is necessary.
Mark Gordanier, owner of Groomingtails along Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills, agrees. The stretch of highway in front of his business is scheduled for reconstruction and rehabilitation from Interstate 696 to Orchard Lake Road.
"What else can we do other than ride it out, especially if it's going to improve traffic in the long run," he said.
Commuters who will be spending more time in traffic next summer aren't too worried yet.
Instead, many are excited that the bumpy roads are finally getting some attention that could save them wear and tear on their cars.
"Finally," Greg Baum, 36, of Taylor said when he heard that construction is scheduled for Telegraph Road. "You feel like a paint can getting all shook up."
