Construction projects have taken over the streets of Rockford this summer, frustrating local businesses and slowing foot traffic downtown.
Since the beginning of June, Fremont and Division streets have been closed, making it harder for people to access businesses.
"This is our prime time. I mean, love everybody loves walking downtown Rockford, especially in the summertime. There's lots to do, and it's really slowed down. Not a lot of foot traffic," said Rebecca Ward, owner of Isla and Lucille.
The construction is impacting sales, with some businesses reporting significant declines, according to Heather Baehre, owner of the Rockford Cheese Shop.
"It's been a struggle. Most businesses, I know, I'm on a committee for downtown, are down anywhere from five to 20% right now," Baehre said.
Businesses are trying to adapt, using social media and running sales to draw in customers. But the detours and road closures have made it challenging, especially for out-of-town visitors.
"Especially those people that are coming in from out of town that aren't used to it, seeing a lot of different detour signs and kind of having to, you know, make a lot of lot of turns just to get to town," said Colin Scott, manager of Everywear men's store.
Rockford's website states Fremont and Division streets are scheduled to reopen by the end of July, just in time for the city's summer sidewalk sales starting on July 31.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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