SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Months of streetscape project work in downtown Scranton are having an impact on the businesses there, one that’s keeping customers from shopping.
Many business owners in downtown Scranton have had a front row seat to these streetscape projects, but the view is not so great when it is preventing customers from coming in.
The sounds of construction vehicles echo around downtown Scranton as the multi-million-dollar streetscapes project continues. The project is aimed at making the city safer and more walkable, and its construction has been ongoing around different parts of the city for months.
“It’s kind of overwhelming because every morning when I come to the store, I don’t know if we’re going to have the road opened or closed,” said Genesis Vega, the owner of 3 Tiers Bakery LLC which is located on North Washington Avenue.
Just outside her storefront, traffic is a common sight while construction shuts down one of the street’s two lanes.
Vega explained, “Unfortunately, every time they close our main road, we lose a lot of customers because they can’t find parking close to here.”
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It’s a problem other business owners are facing as well.
“I understand that they have to do their work, and it’s difficult to get upset, but I mean, this is our business. This is our livelihoods, so it does impact us quite a bit. So, it gets a little frustrating at times,” Abe’s Deli owner, Renato Luongo, said.
The co-owner for Spin & Savory, Vincenzo Adragna, added, “It’s a little tiring because you walk into Scranton, you’re driving into Scranton, thinking, ‘hopefully there’s no construction today,’ and there is construction. Listen, I’m grateful that they’re working on the city and doing what they can to repair it and everything, but at a certain point, it’s like, how much construction do you really need?”
As more time passes and construction continues, business owners are hoping things can wrap up quickly.
“We’re all one family here. We all look out for each other, and I know that everybody’s suffering just like we are, so, I mean, we have to get through it together. I hope it gets done quick,” Luongo said.
28/22 News has reached out to the city of Scranton about a timeline for the project and are waiting to hear back. This article will be updated as soon as we learn more.
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