BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 If you\u2019ve walked down 18th or 19th Street in Bakersfield lately, you\u2019ve likely hit a few obstacles. Literally.<\/p>\n
You\u2019d be hard-pressed to find flat pavement in Eastchester. Businesses on the street say revenues are now as bumpy as the sidewalk \u2014 or lack thereof.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no parking,\u201d said Hoagie\u2019s manager Jorge Murillo. \u201cCustomers come and just turn around and leave because it\u2019s terrible. Just terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where else but Hoagies\u2019s could you get a basket of clam strips in downtown? But Murillo wonders \u2014 where else can his customers park?<\/p>\n
\u201cAt lunchtime, they have limited time to come and have lunch,\u201d Murillo said. \u201cThey only have 45 minutes to an hour. So they take 20 or 30 minutes to find parking and just leave instead of sticking around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoagie\u2019s isn\u2019t alone. Just down the road at Blueprint Service Company, staff and customers alike are in the trenches.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, for employees it\u2019s been a pain because there\u2019s no parking for us,\u201d said Blueprint Service Company receptionist Melodie Castillo. \u201cAnd then customers, they\u2019re complaining about it. There\u2019s nowhere for them to park.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019t even begun on the sidewalk in front of Burger Hut, but owner Felipe Rivera says work across the street is already costing him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe construction is affecting us money wise, you know, money\u2019s been going down little by little, and they haven\u2019t even gotten to our pavement yet. So I know it\u2019s going to hurt us,\u201d said Rivera.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t all doom and gloom, though. Local staple Sequoia Sandwiches shares the burden, but Director of Operations Manny Souza is excited for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re prepared for it, and they\u2019re taking care of our picnic tables,\u201d Souza said. \u201cThey\u2019re moving them for us. They\u2019re going to put them back just how they were when they\u2019re done. And from what they describe, it\u2019s going to look great when it\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 sidewalks or not.<\/p>\n
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