New Albany businesses trying to survive Main Street Revitalization project

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Local businesses are hoping to survive the New Albany Main Street Revitalization project.

The revitalization project initially started in 2014 when East Main Street was reconstructed from Vincennes to East 5th Street. Its goal is to improve safety for walkers, runners, cyclists and drivers with the addition of wider sidewalks, improved lighting, decorative lighting and traffic calming measures.

While the construction is expected to enhance New Albany's downtown, it's currently creating challenges for local businesses as traffic is rerouted and some roads are closed.

"One of the biggest impacts we've had to deal with is how to pivot and adjust to it because we really don't know how it effects us until we absorb that blow for a few weeks," said Dan Hardesty, owner of Eureka! Menswear. "Then we understand, here's where people are coming, here's where they are coming from, how to guide them here."

NEW ALBANY MAIN ST PROJECT — Eureka Menswear in New Albany.

Judy Stults, manager of the Odd Shop, estimates business has decreased by 50% since construction started near the store.

"It normally flourishes, we have people constantly in, now there's days when we have a few people in and out," Stults said. "There's times our whole business is shut down by three intersections. It's hard to know day-to-day."

The project requires parts of Main Street to be shutdown as a new curb and gutter is built, sidewalks enhanced and the road is resurfaced.

Larry Summers, City Engineer for City of New Albany, says the federal government is covering 80% of the $3 million project as part of an "80/20 match."

When completed, restaurants will have space for outdoor dining without impeding the flow of pedestrians on the sidewalks. Crosswalks for pedestrians will also be decreased from 52 feet to 22 feet.

"It's going to be very beautiful project and something I think everybody in the city of New Albany will be proud to call their own," Summers said.

In the meantime, local businesses are relying on regular customers as consistent foot traffic has declined.

"The ones that really want to come down here, are going to come down here," Hardesty said. "The ones that might, the ones we were trying to find a way to wrangle in, because that's going to be the difference between real success doing retail and just getting by."

With the holiday season a few months away, businesses are hoping for a boost from the annual Harvest Homecoming that goes from Oct. 1-9.

The Odd Shop will have a booth at the free fall festival. The parade is planned for Oct. 1, while booths will be up from Oct. 6-9.

City officials are working with construction crews to limit the impact during the event.

"We made sure to coordinate with the contractor and with Harvest Homecoming to ensure that there was nothing that Harvest Homecoming was doing that we would interfere with," Summers said. "The only real areas where folks will have to cross Main Street will be to get to the rides or anything on the other side of the levee. But we've already made accommodations with the contractor to make sure that the street crossings there at State, Pear and bank are all going to be safe."

Summers estimated another year of construction, which means the project could be completed in time for the city's Harvest Homecoming festival in the fall of 2023. Business owners in the area are hoping to make it that far.

"To make it to the end, we're really counting on our regular customers, online sales," Stults said.

"We realize it's an inconvenience for folks that travel through there, but at the end of the day, this is going to be an exceptional project for the city of New Albany," Summers said. "We're going to make a place that is not only safer for everyone, but it's going to be more livable, more walkable and it's going to make it a better place for everyone."

To read more about the revitalization project, click here.

Related Stories: