<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pabbyboy:
Is there any recourse if a Township's roadway expansion (on which my shop is situated)for a lengthy period of time caused my customer base to be decreased by 90%. My expenses are still the same yet my sales no longer support those expenses and have in fact put me in the "red" for the first time in 8 years. The construction is still continuing and may not be completed for 3 more months.
[This message has been edited by pabbyboy (edited August 05, 2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Do you have insurance that covers loss of business? Check with the township road engineers to see what the exact project entails and the original construction schedule. Roadway expansion should not take that long unless there are various underground utilities being installed, fire hydrants, curbs and gutters, ADA compliant sidewalks, greenbelts/complex landscaping and irrigation etc. If the original project was set for completion for a shorter time period and now has been extended, find out the cause. You may have recourse if the cause was due to engineering errors, lack of coordination with various subcontractors, delay in ordering building materials, change orders, after the fact value engineering etc. You should be at the doorsteps of the Mayor or the head politician in charge demanding an explanation and telling your story of losing your business and livelihood. Perhaps a temporary solution could be made by the township by the placing and moving the location of barricades, traffic cones and signage to allow for local traffic into your parking lot, having a special duty police officer direct traffic, staggering and phasing the roadwork, making a large roadway sign with a directional arrow and your business name etc.
Are there any other shops/businesses that have your same problem? Join forces with them and sign a petition, picket and protest down at the town hall, call the media and let your story be heard via the newspapers and the nightly news etc. Meet with your Mayor, Council people, State Senators and Representatives, Small Business Association etc. Where are the funds coming from to pay for the roadway expansion? Any State or Federal monies involved? Is this a case of your tax dollars at work screwing your own business?
The roadway expansion and progress is needed but you also need a thriving business. What a pain in the asphalt!
