Ninth Street’s construction closure has cut off local shops and restaurants from direct customer access, causing a shift in business and a job loss for Junior Julia Johnson.
According to an article from the Lawrence Times, income and customer traffic have been irregular for at least three businesses on Ninth Street, with one owner saying she saw about an 85% decrease in sales since the block was closed off.
This construction, which ranges from Indiana Street to Louisiana Street is part of the Jayhawk Watershed Project, which is intended to reduce flooding, improve safety along Ninth Street and replace aging sanitary sewers according to a memo from the city. The project is scheduled for completion in early 2027.
Jon Smiley, who operates the Ninth Street Cork & Barrel, said the business has been experiencing a decrease in customer traffic since the construction.
As a result of fewer customers, some restaurants are having to lay off their employees. Junior Julia Johnson worked at Ninth Street Cafe before the construction started. However, she said that once business started to slow down due to the construction, she received texts from her manager telling her there was not enough business for her to come into work. Johnson received these texts for two more weeks before she was not coming into work at all.
“It was already a little bit slow because we were a new business, and it was family owned, so we were already slow, but my job was fun, and there were like, enough people [who] would come to the shop,” Johnson said.
Jayhawk Watershed Project Project Manager Nick Hoyt said that the construction on Ninth Street was specifically limited during the football post-season because of the construction’s proximity to the football stadium.
However, Johnson said winter is not an ideal time to start a construction project on this scale, not only because the holidays are a difficult time for laid-off employees, but also because there are fewer pedestrian customers.
“Because it’s so close to downtown, usually those small businesses can get enough people to keep running because people are walking. But when it’s not summer, and it’s not nice weather, it’s harder,” Johnson said. “Since they’re doing the construction now, it makes it even harder for these businesses to get any money, any revenue.”
Johnson said that the Ninth Street Cafe potentially will not recover financially after the construction, and the owner has mentioned that the restaurant may have to close its doors.
“The owner has been talking about how she [may have] to close because prior to the construction, we were really slow … There just wasn’t enough revenue built up to keep it going through this construction,” Johnson said.
The city and project planners said they are aware of the effects that the construction can have on local businesses. To address this, Hoyt said that he has met with business owners over the past two years to ensure that their concerns are heard.
“The most consistent feedback we’ve received is that residents and business owners want the work completed as efficiently and safely as possible, given the long-term need for the stormwater and utility improvements,” Hoyt said. “Business owners have also emphasized the importance of maintaining customer access during construction, including parking availability.”
The city has responded to some of the needs of local businesses. Hoyt said that after hearing the most recent response to the construction, the city installed 13 temporary parking spots on Ninth Street to increase access to the businesses that are affected.
“I do feel like the city is listening, but there is only so much they can do. It’s a large project that has to get done. It isn’t possible to dig up an artery into downtown and not have a negative effect on business in the area,” Smiley said.
Smiley said that he believes Cork & Barrell will receive enough business to stay open during and after the construction.
“At this time, I think we will probably make it through the project. How battered and bruised depends on project delays, and customers continuing to shop at that location despite the impending hurdle to get to our business,” Smiley said.
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