FISHERS, Ind. – Work continues on the roundabout at the intersection of 96th Avenue and Allisonville Road, with orange cones still in place on the north side and nearby businesses affected.
The city of Fishers began the project in early April, closing off a long section of 96th Street for several months.
Colin Murphy is a regular at A2Z Cafe, coming in about once a week for Hawaiian food.
Luckily, he lives on the same street side as the cafe and has no problem getting there.
“My dad lives on the east side of 96th Street, so he never makes the journey there,” Murphy said. “It’s a nightmare.”
The detour will involve taking Allisonville Road to 116th Street, then going down Hazel Dell Parkway to avoid the 96th Street closure.
“I live four miles away and it takes me 45 minutes to get there instead of the normal seven,” said Tom Rosenow, owner of A2Z Cafe.
Rosenau said he doesn’t blame customers if they don’t want to go to work every day because it’s a hassle.
“We’re seeing an overall decline in customer business,” he said, “probably a 23 to 27 percent decline per day.”
The restaurant has been in business for 10 years and has been able to weather the pandemic, but he has concerns about the construction.
They recently shared on Facebook that they’ve had to cut back on their hours and menu due to slow business.
“The staff are great, the food is always good and everything is consistent so hopefully it hasn’t affected them but I think it probably has,” Murphy said.
Rosenow urges people to continue supporting the businesses and others along 96th Street while construction continues.
The roundabout is expected to be completed by the end of the year. For more information on the project, click here.
