EDINA, Minn. — In Edina, construction is well underway in several areas and it's making some popular shopping spots hard to access.
Now, some business owners say that they're struggling.
"This side of the neighborhood looks like a ghost town for the last three weeks," said Sohil Goorha, who owns the Indian restaurant Raag.
It sits right at 50th and France, a popular shopping area in the city full of significant road closures and detours. Crews are working on a new rapid bus transit line called the E Line.
On the city's website, it writes that, "It will run from the University of Minnesota to downtown, Uptown, down France Avenue and end at the Southdale Transit Center. BRT routes are faster because they make fewer stops, load at all doors and use advance tickets. An Edina resident could have dinner at 50th & France, hop on the bus and get to a Gophers sports event in roughly 38 minutes, said Metro Transit Community Outreach Coordinator Erik Thompson."
Goorha says the work is impacting foot traffic so much, he predicts it's down up to 40%.
"I'm a small family business, I don't have a chain or alternate location, so for me, this is it," said Goorha.
Sections of southbound France Ave. from 44th to 66th Streets will be closed to through traffic through August. As work at each station is completed, that section will reopen. The city says during closures, emergency vehicles and business deliveries will still have access.
The city is also adding music events and outdoor seating.
"That was very nice of them to do this," said Edina resident, Merritt, who only wanted to give her first name. "It’ll be really nice when it’s done, although, I must say, I wish this was going to be a pedestrian street."
She says the short term problems are an investment in the city's future, no matter how frustrating they might be.
"People coming from outside, it is kind of daunting when you drive to a place and you don't expect it to happen and suddenly, there's all these barriers and construction," said Merritt. "But you know, you just kind of roll with it, it's what you do."
While progress rolls on, Goorha just hopes business does too.
"Eventually we need customers to come back in," said Goorha.
There is also another construction project happening near Edina City Hall. It should be completed at the end of summer and include a new traffic signal system at Grange Road and West 50th Street that adds new crosswalks and audible crossing indicators.
Construction started the week of June 10th and it's scheduled to be finished before school starts.