After 35 years, Tornado Terry’s Arcade in Fort Worth is preparing to close its doors, with owner Shannon Bell saying years of nearby road construction made it increasingly difficult for customers to reach the family-owned business.
Bell’s late husband founded the retro arcade, known for classic games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders, in 1991. Terry passed away in 2023, leaving the business for Bell to run. Bell said she hoped to continue his dream, still using games Terry worked on like Dragon’s Lair and continuing the use of tokens and tickets.
“Years of people telling me, ‘You have a great place, but we’re not dealing with this again until the road construction is finished,’” Bell said.
Bell said construction along Keller Hicks Road has created ongoing challenges for more than two years. Changing traffic patterns, road closure signs and navigation apps made it confusing for customers trying to reach the arcade, she said.
“The major issues have been directly revolving around the signage and the travel,” Bell said.
She also said many road signs indicated the road was closed, discouraging potential customers.
“All of the signs until July 6, 2026, said the road was closed. Not that it was one way — it just said plain and simple, ‘Road Closed,’” Bell said.
As the arcade’s only employee, Bell said the financial strain became too much.
“I haven’t had a paycheck since September because I can’t afford to pay anybody, and I can’t afford to pay myself,” she said.
The closure comes as Fort Worth continues to grow. The city recently surpassed one million residents, bringing with it major infrastructure projects aimed at improving traffic and accommodating future growth. Spectrum News has reported on businesses in communities from Austin to Houston that say long-term road construction has affected customer access.
In a statement to Spectrum News, the City of Fort Worth said it understands construction can be challenging for nearby businesses and has worked to minimize those impacts.
City officials said they have remained in regular contact with Bell throughout construction, maintained access to Tornado Terry’s, added supplemental signage and addressed site-specific concerns as they arose while keeping the work zone safe for drivers, customers and construction crews.
The city also encouraged residents to continue supporting local businesses during construction.
The Keller Hicks Road improvement project is a $24 million capital project that will widen the roadway from two lanes to three, add shared-use paths, improve storm drainage and water infrastructure, install roadway lighting and add a new traffic signal.
According to the city, the project is ahead of schedule. Traffic is expected to shift onto two newly completed lanes during the week of Aug. 10, with the goal of restoring two-way traffic by December if conditions allow. The overall project remains on track for completion in May 2027.
For Bell, she said that timeline comes too late. Her arcade games are scheduled to be auctioned at the beginning of August, with doors closing Aug. 9, marking the end of a business that served families for more than three decades.