Construction at 5th and Central leave businesses frustrated.

If you’ve been getting frustrated by the amount of construction you’ve seen in the Capitol City, you’re not alone. Some businesses along the south Central \
Published: Oct. 22, 2021 at 9:00 PM CDT
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - If you’ve been getting frustrated by the amount of construction you’ve seen in the Capitol City, you’re not alone.

Some businesses along the south Central corridor have been feeling the pinch.

With so much construction, local businesses have seen their profit and business margins down by 40 percent. Leaving most of them wondering, when is all of this going to be done?

The owner of The Donut Shop on Central, Vanny Leas, is frustrated.

So much so that she placed a notice on Facebook begging people to come back in to her business.

“Its been affecting our business right now for the whole week. It’s been really slow and no one can find a way to get in here,” said Vanny Leas, Owner of The Donut Shop in Central.

And her neighbors see the same thing.

“I’ve seen people pull up and they were frustrated trying to get in , so they just kept driving on,” said Bill Hampton, Patron of Diamond Horseshoe Cafe.

All over town, there seems to be no place where drivers and businesses are unaffected.

“Maybe not tear up the whole town at one time, you know. Do it in pieces or sections or something like that, but sometimes it’s impossible to get through town,” said Hampton.

The construction done on Central by 5th is part of the One Percent Sale Tax Initiative.

The pavement is getting resurfaced and crews are replacing curb gutters and slabs to help drainage.

The City Engineer anticipates that access to Central will be open within a week and the intersection at 5th street within two weeks.

But the City, like other departments, has been facing issues with a shortage of truck drivers and material supplies.

In the meantime, officials didn’t seem to realize businesses were having trouble.

“We weren’t aware there was an issue... I appreciate the fact that they brought it to our attention. We’re going to add some signage that will mention the Cafe and also the Donut Shop, so we’ll detour and it should be quite clear where they need to go,” said Tom Cobb, City Engineer for the City of Cheyenne.

Construction will still cut off access through 5th, but 9th is available.

Especially during a pandemic supporting your local businesses is not only the right thing to do but pretty sweet.

Officials hope the supply or personnel shortage won’t cause any construction delays.

The city appreciates everyone’s patience as they work to make the South-Central Corridor better.

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