BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — If you’ve walked down 18th or 19th Street in Bakersfield lately, you’ve likely hit a few obstacles. Literally.

You’d be hard-pressed to find flat pavement in Eastchester. Businesses on the street say revenues are now as bumpy as the sidewalk — or lack thereof.

“There’s no parking,” said Hoagie’s manager Jorge Murillo. “Customers come and just turn around and leave because it’s terrible. Just terrible.”

Where else but Hoagies’s could you get a basket of clam strips in downtown? But Murillo wonders — where else can his customers park?

“At lunchtime, they have limited time to come and have lunch,” Murillo said. “They only have 45 minutes to an hour. So they take 20 or 30 minutes to find parking and just leave instead of sticking around.”

Hoagie’s isn’t alone. Just down the road at Blueprint Service Company, staff and customers alike are in the trenches.

“Well, for employees it’s been a pain because there’s no parking for us,” said Blueprint Service Company receptionist Melodie Castillo. “And then customers, they’re complaining about it. There’s nowhere for them to park.”

It seems like a tough break for some of these businesses, even with the eventual payoff of a pedestrian corridor with new sidewalks, bike lanes and streetlights. Construction hasn’t even begun on the sidewalk in front of Burger Hut, but owner Felipe Rivera says work across the street is already costing him.

“The construction is affecting us money wise, you know, money’s been going down little by little, and they haven’t even gotten to our pavement yet. So I know it’s going to hurt us,” said Rivera.

It isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Local staple Sequoia Sandwiches shares the burden, but Director of Operations Manny Souza is excited for what’s to come.

“We’re prepared for it, and they’re taking care of our picnic tables,” Souza said. “They’re moving them for us. They’re going to put them back just how they were when they’re done. And from what they describe, it’s going to look great when it’s done.”

The project is expected to take six months in total, with its completion set for this fall. Until then, these companies will tough it out — sidewalks or not.

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