Road construction slows Iowa Street business

By Asher Fusco

Saturday, July 12, 2008

While road crews are busy repaving roads, repainting lines and rerouting traffic along a eight-block stretch of Iowa Street, some Lawrence businesses are paying a price in the name of progress.

Stores and restaurants on Iowa Street between 23rd and 31st streets have seen their sales slow because of road work blocking entry to some parking lots. Lawrence communications manager Lisa Patterson said the project should wrap up on schedule in early August.

One customer browsed through bins of music Thursday afternoon at CD Tradepost, 2540 Iowa Street. Store manager Clark Morton said the few customers on Thursday came from the apartments behind the store or via public transportation.

“We’ve had some bad days,” said CD Tradepost store manager Clark Morton. “It was pretty bad yesterday, and today’s been slow.”

Small orange cones blocked the entrance to CD Tradepost’s parking lot for the first time Thursday. The store is part of the Tower Plaza shopping center, also home to stores such as Quizno’s Subs, Papa Murphy’s Pizza and First Watch Restaurant.

Diners filled most of First Watch’s chairs and booths Thursday afternoon, pleasantly surprising First Watch owner Todd Babington. Babington said he was pleased with the turnout and that he thought his customers had “proven themselves.”

“We’ve had some comments,” Babington said. “People are coming in and saying, ‘Are you trying to run us through a maze or something?’”

White barricades stood in the entrance to the parking lot at Applebee’s, 2520 Iowa Street, but a few customers found their way to the restaurant at lunchtime Thursday. To access Applebee’s and the Tower Plaza shopping center, drivers coming from the north had to drive about three blocks south, turn left and follow a frontage road back to the stores.

Patterson said major work on Iowa Street would continue through the weekend. Next week, Iowa Street will open to two-way, single-lane traffic.

Patterson said the intersection rebuilding project at 19th and Louisiana will also end in early August.

— Edited by Rustin Dodd

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