Construction at Research Pkwy and Powers Blvd “devastating” for small business

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to Michael Simon, the owner of Pies and Grinders a pizza restaurant in North Colorado Springs, the intersection of Research Parkway and Powers Boulevard has been completely closed for the last four weeks.

Since then, Simon estimates he has lost $16 thousand dollars in revenue due to people avoiding the construction and the traffic back ups associated with the intersection.

"The construction has been devastating," Simon said. "They cut off our access here at the westbound access here a little over four weeks ago and its been devastating, you know we have taken a huge hit on this as is everybody else in our complex. We are all small, family owned businesses. There's no corporates in here."

According to CDOT, they are working to "construct a portion of the new on- and off-ramps as part of the new Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI)."

They have been working on the intersection since May 2021. The completion of the project is scheduled for November 2022. However, Simon told KRDO he's been promised that it will partially reopen on January 13th.

A quarter-mile west of the intersection is a small sign labeled "Business are open" near Scarborough Dr. Simon is displeased with the positions and size of the sign.

"I would love to see real detour signs that say coming off of Briargate, hey all business open in the Powers Center Point Plaza so that people are aware that they can still come in and patronize all of these small locally owned family business that are just trying to get by," Simon said.

Pies and Grinders was busy as ever on Friday and Saturday night after a post on the app NextDoor urged people to dine at the restaurant.

The business has meant everything to Simon who was praising the communities support on Saturday night.

"Last night when that NextDoor ad went out it was absolutely insane, that was like the second busiest night we have had in two years at this place. These people are phenomenal, our local community has just been amazing. Without these guys, we don't exist," Simon said.

We reached out to CDOT to ask how they are working with small business in the area during the ongoing construction. They said they will have an answer for us next week.