EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Business owners along Montana Avenue and near Loop 375 said they are losing customers and sales due to ongoing major road work that is part of the Montana expansion project.
“The project is scheduled to take about two more years, which is a little concerning. We’re trying to do everything we can just to stay afloat. We’re trying to do events, to promote the business, get more people here, even just giving away some free stuff,” said Elian Estrada, the chief financial officer for La Wheela, a bicycle shop.
Estrada’s family owns the shop, a restaurant, and the entire shopping center, which is located between Joe Battle Boulevard and Saul Kleinfeld Drive.
The construction project will transform part of Montana Avenue into an expressway with frontage roads and pedestrian improvements that include sidewalks and a shared use path, according to officials from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Estrada said their business has been open for about two years and has had to deal with construction for the Montana project the entire time.
However, he said their bicycle shop and restaurant drew many customers within months of their opening, but that they started seeing a steep decline in sales when the access road to their business was narrowed from two lanes to just one.
“We’ve seen about a 90% decrease in terms of revenue. Just recently, we have been averaging around $300 a day. Before all this, and when we had many people coming in, we averaged about $3,000 a day in sales,” Estrada said.
On Friday, KTSM witnessed that the access road is consistently congested with traffic. Estrada believes that is discouraging customers from trying to visit their shop.
Estrada said they have barely managed to break even because they host group ride events for cyclists and entertainment events at their restaurant.
However, the owner of the Under the Rainbow Daycare and Learning Center next door, who did not want to be identified by name, said his business has yet to even generate any profits since its opening.
“Right now we’re generating enough to cover the utilities, but it is not enough to cover the rent yet. We’re still paying for that out of our pocket. We have not been able to lift the business from the ground,” he said.
TxDOT officials said that the current phase of the Montana expansion project began construction in April 2019, and is expected to be completed by March or April of 2027.
“We have worked collaboratively with businesses and residents in the area alerting them of traffic changes and closures that may impact them by meeting with them and distributing flyers. We will continue to do so as the project progresses. It is important to note that we work to ensure there is always business and resident access which has included police escort during overnight closures and most recently, constructing a temporary driveway for one set of businesses,” the TxDOT statement read.
The statement also read that TxDOT crews are in the final stages of this first phase, nearly complete with work on underpasses and bridges at both Saul Kleinfeld Drive and at Loop 375. The work includes excavation, panel placement, and drilled shafts.
Read: Read More