Traffic moves, but Apponaug businesses feel bumps

Posted 10/16/14

Apponaug traffic is moving, but it’s not what it used to be, and many village businesses are feeling the impact.

Yet, says Richard Crenca of the planning department, who is assigned to …

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Traffic moves, but Apponaug businesses feel bumps

Posted

Apponaug traffic is moving, but it’s not what it used to be, and many village businesses are feeling the impact.

Yet, says Richard Crenca of the planning department, who is assigned to monitoring the massive three-year project, there have been few complaints. The project is designed to reduce congestion and enhance the pedestrian accessibility to the core village and, so far, there have been relatively few complaints over how Cardi Construction is managing the project. He said in order to relocate and upgrade gas and water lines on Veterans Memorial Drive, crews worked nights. Nights were chosen so that two of the roads’ four lanes wouldn’t have to be closed during heavier day traffic. The job involved breaking up the concrete base to the road, which brought some complaints about noise from nearby residents. Other than those calls, he hasn’t heard much. He’s also noticed delays in the traffic, but nothing outrageous.

“It’s just a delay, it seems to keep going,” he said.

However, some local merchants have experienced a precipitous drop in customers.

Christine Czerwien and Michael Smith, who were catching a break outside Jersey Mike’s in the sunny 70-degree weather on Tuesday, estimated they have seen a 25 to 30 percent decline in business.

“When you have 20 to 30 minutes for lunch, you may be afraid to get stuck in traffic,” said Smith.

Moments later, the couple was back behind the counter fixing the orders of Beverly Perez and Justin Lapan. Perez said she wasn’t going to be stopped from getting her Jersey Mike’s.

“I’ll take the back roads to get here,” she vowed.

Bill Hall was another of those loyal Apponaug customers. Hall visits Dunkin Donuts every afternoon, where he gets a coffee and donut and meets friends. He said he had no problem with delays and inconvenience of the work and he’s not going to alter his routine.

That’s music to Valerie Manson, the manager of the store.

“We have our old faithfuls,” she said with a smile.

She has found many customers are avoiding the village, seeking alternative east and west routes, because they never know where they might get tied up. She notes that construction work plays hopscotch, one day working at the railroad underpass, the next in front of the police station.

“We don’t know from one day to the next what they’re doing to get around it,” she said.

Manson is doing what she can to keep customers coming back, offering apple crumb donuts and cookies as new items.

Down the street, Spencer Moore kept vigil on an empty Apponaug Color Shop. But Moore wasn’t disheartened.

“All the regulars have been in,” he said, “They know.”

Moore was interested in when the Apponaug Mill water tower, a village landmark, will come down. According to Crenca, the Department of Transportation said the tower will come down once Verizon removes its cell phone antennas; between the end of October and next spring. Crenca said the replacement tower behind fire headquarters is completed and should be operational soon.

Rodney Baril of Place Jewelers on Post Road, across from the Post Office, considers himself one of the lucky ones.

“Much to my surprise, there wasn’t an adverse effect on business,” he said.

He said there was some initial apprehension from customers, but he notes there hasn’t been any construction along that section of the road yet and traffic is flowing.

“So far, so good. Let’s see what December [Christmas] brings,” Baril said.

Around the corner, where construction has been concentrated since this summer, the report wasn’t as favorable. Bob Burke of Roger Williams Auto Sales shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about business. Rather, he focused on a cookout – A Humbled Harvest Day – the dealership is hosting on Saturday, Oct. 25 to benefit Delivering Hope, Homeless in RI and 1 of 52. The free cookout will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As Crenca pointed out, the schedule of work can be followed by going to the city’s website and clicking on a link to the DOT. According to the website, two travel lanes will continue to be closed during construction and two travel lanes will continue be opened on Veterans Memorial Drive and Post Road, north of the underpass, from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through this Saturday.

The site also says that village center construction on Post Road won’t start until two-way traffic is established on the new Veterans Memorial Drive to its intersection of Centerville and Toll Gate Roads.

Meanwhile, construction or not, the City Hall parking lot was full Tuesday and yesterday and there was a line at the door of the Annex – quarterly tax payments were due.

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  • maggie123

    delays in traffic....Tuesday morning it took me 30 minutes to get through Appounaug, during prime hours 7:20 am....sat in a line on West shore Road from Buttonwoods Avenue not moving, not getting through the light before the train tunnel. I only have to travel through Appounaug on Tuesday Mornings thank God!

    Thursday, October 16, 2014 Report this