FORTVILLE — Fortville's busiest road will soon be free of construction workers, but some people in town believe the construction has already wrecked some businesses.
Broadway, which carries both US 36 and State Road 67 through Fortville, has experienced constant reconstruction for two years. The town now believes it will finish on or before Nov. 15.
"Everybody suffers when there's a construction project like this, I think it will be well worth it once it's done," said Fortville town council president Tonya Davis.
The project will add sidewalks, street lights, and crosswalks through Broadway when it is finished.
Adam Fox manages Broadway Diner, a family business near the intersection of Broadway and State Road 13. He worries the road work and reconfiguration of the road did lasting damage to his restaurant.
"We're trying to make it through November," Fox said. "Our business is down 70 percent at least right now. Through lunch, it's more like 80 percent."
A skeleton erected in protest on Broadway is dressed in construction worker gear and holds a sign that reads, "Fortville Businesses."
Davis said she understands the anger, but said the town has to grit its teeth and push through to the end of construction.
"There's really not a lot we can do to make it any better," Davis said. "We can't speed up the project, we can't slow it down, we have no control over it."
Fox said his restaurant does not have much longer to wait before it turns off the griddle for good.
"It's about money, you know? It's got to make money or it doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Fox said. "Right now, it's just not."
