Road construction hurts local businesses

CARY Businesses say the extra road is costing them customers.

Inside /*Family Furniture Discount Store*/ business is slow, outside the store is buzzing, but not with customers, but instead with construction crews.

"Both of the driveways have been dug up as of yesterday have been dug up 7 times, we don't know why!" said Anita Naudus, with Family Discount.

Naudus is battling cancer and between medical bills and construction blocking both entrances to her discount furniture store, she doesn't know how they're going to make it.

"I'm losing it here, for the past four months it's been very bad and we are barely able to meet our overhead up until then we did fine," Naudus said.

The town of Cary is widening Southwest Maynard Road from West Chatham Street to Kildaire Farm Road.

The 11.7 million dollar project is supposed to alleviate traffic with additional lanes, and cut down on accidents. But local business owners say the construction is cutting into their profits.

"My personal opinion, I think we need a turning lane from this row of buildings on this side," said Tim Robinson, owner of The Pit Stop.

They aren't the only business owners losing money, another business owner told Eyewitness News it's not the construction workers, but the median that is going to cause long term problems."

"You may or may not lose a customer for that everyone wants a bargain, but when they have to go to so much trouble they just don't come back you lose them forever," Naudus said.

Eyewitness News talked to the Town of Cary Engineer, Tom Ellis who says they are now working with local business owners to find a way to make it easier for customers to get to the stores.

The 16 month road project will be complete next month on schedule.