Ray K. Erku / Post Independent
Downtown Rifle business owner Nick Beightel said business has decreased 75% since construction activity picked up in the area earlier this year.
In fact, when asked if COVID-19 or construction has been more of a detriment to foot traffic, Beightel, who owns One Jewelers, said construction is worse “by far.”
“The fact a lot of my customers are elderly people, they don’t want to walk a block or two to shop,” he said on Tuesday. “They want the convenience to pull up and leave. Where are they going to park? It’s hard for them.”
Ray K. Erku / Post Independent
Rifle’s traffic congestion woes are likely to continue as the city recently agreed to extend the closure of Hospital Hill Road into summer.
During an April 21 board meeting, FCI Constructors Inc, hired by Grand River Health to construct the new Grand River Care Center, notified the city that construction won’t be finished until August.
Hospital Hill Road, which extends from Ash Avenue to U.S. Highway 6 at the south of the facility, was closed to traffic in 2018 when the project broke ground. Hospital Hill Road would be realigned, and the city contributed $250,000 to the roadway.