Shops struggling amid Central Av. reconstruction

Tony Rammer and David Kroona's Wash N Fill of Blaine is a wayside without highway access.

For 10 years, the station has anchored the intersection of Central Avenue (Hwy. 65) and 129th Avenue. But since last fall, the Central Avenue reconstruction left the station invisible from either of the closest highway exits a half-mile away.

Rammer recently has discounted gas to as low as $1.89 a gallon. Still, gas sales are down 60 percent from last April. He reckons he needs a 10-cent-per-gallon margin to make a profit; last month, he was clearing about 2 cents a gallon.

"It's been a battle," he said. "We're in survival mode, but I don't know how long we'll be able to make it in survival mode."

The project was meant to ease congestion and reduce traffic accidents at the Central Avenue-County Road 14 interchange, just to the south. The project also replaced intersections at 129th and 121st with overpasses. City, county and state planners hope the end result will be a safer commute and better access for most businesses. But several owners on the commercial strip say the detours and road closures, on top of the slow economy, will mean a chancy summer they may not survive. Several others, whose businesses have been shuttered since construction began, say the disruption played a large role.

According to the city of Blaine, 21 business have closed or relocated since the project began last year. Of those, four were relocated within Blaine after their properties were acquired as part of the project. Six relocated on their own to larger or newer facilities. Two fell to national, corporate downsizing. And nine closed or left the city after the road project began.

As each business has left, folks have less reason to visit those that remain, said Denise Wolens, who owns Pioneer Cycle with her husband, Troy.

Pre-construction efforts

Representatives from the city, state and county, which collaborated on the endeavor, noted that these major projects are difficult by definition, and that they did their best to work with owners to minimize the negative effect on business. Government liaisons provided access to online maps and time lines; the county worked with business owners to create and disseminate customized maps and promotional materials, and business owners were invited to participate in a task force that met two years before construction began.

"I don't know what else we can think of at this point," said Anoka County transportation planner Kate Garwood. "We can't fix the economy, we can't slow down the traffic; it's not going to slow down. What we can do is provide the best access we can for folks."

On Friday, the east frontage road already was stripped down to gravel. Access from north and south was blocked at 129th Avenue. Signs along Central Avenue directed traffic to local businesses. Still, Wolens worries that the rough road and big equipment will disrupt access during the spring months when folks are most likely to shop for bikes.

Pioneer Cycle, Welle Auto Supply and Smith Nielson Automotive Service hope to survive the summer with support from regular customers, and by using aggressive advertising and specials.

"I continuously had phone calls; people could never find me," he said, adding that his sales dropped by half after construction started.

And Rammer's gas station was often mentioned as an example of a business that can't win in the new configuration. Its nearest north access is a half mile up the highway, the other a winding half-mile from the south.

Before construction started, the intersection ranked as the state's ninth worst for congestion-related crash costs.

"I get both sides," said Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan. "People have been hurt in that intersection, severely injured. I get the other side. You have to err on the safety side, as bad as it is. ... We did everything we could to keep them operating."

Still, Rammer notes he originally was told the project would buy out his property and replace it with a storm pond. But plans changed, and the station is trying to make it with the help of a loyal residential base and cheap gas. Still, he's laid off more than half his staff, which was difficult, and he's also not confident he'll make his property tax payment this month.