Beatrice businesses battling a bump in the road with ongoing street project

BEATRICE, Neb. (KLKN) — A busy street in downtown Beatrice is on hold for a bit.

Since Monday, construction crews have been ripping up parts of Fifth Street.

The goal is to extend parking spaces and widen the road, making room for more traffic to get through. The city said the current parking stalls aren’t deep enough.

The project is estimated to last until Sept. 29.

Nearby business owners are dealing with some short-term pain before the long-term gain.

The road is open, but traffic is moving slower, and the parking spaces are closed off.

Denise Pahl, the owner of Tall Tree Tastings, is making do but also a bit worried about the unknown.

“Probably one of the most stressful things is just the unknown,” she said. “We’ve kind of had a weird end of summer with all this rain. Rain’s good for corn, but not for concrete. Once we start seeing some progress, I think a lot of the anxiety will go.”

Some business owners who spoke with Channel 8 reporter off camera said they were told construction was not going to start until the fall.

Sev McDowell, a volunteer at a local nonprofit popcorn stand, has concerns that the project will take longer than planned.

He expects it will close his stand down for the time being.

“We’re all going to be affected by it,” he said. “The project itself is a great idea, but there’s just no way things happen on time. “Hats off to those guys working in the heat and stuff, but it will be a factor.”

According to the City of Beatrice, this is the first work done on this road since 2010.