LAKE ASBURY, Fla. – Lake Asbury residents are breathing a sigh of relief after a crippling road closure that lasted all summer is finally over.
The closure affected Sandridge Road, right in front of Lake Asbury Junior High School. The construction that shut off access to the roadway concluded before 11 p.m. on Sunday. Although the street is completely open, Clay County officials said the next phase of the project is underway, which means drivers could see lane shifts and delays in the area.
While residents were forced to deal with enormous detours, businesses dealt with huge losses as well.
Workers at Zac’s Pizza, which is located in a shopping plaza at the intersection of Sandridge Road and Henley Road, said business decreased by 45% to 60% during the more than month-long closure.
“We were literally hurting. 45% to 60% on very many days,” said worker Selda Bulut. She said their pizza restaurant is a family-owned business and they were forced to live off their savings.
Bulut added that other businesses in their shopping plaza even shut down entirely for the duration of the construction including the Master Wok restaurant next door.
“It was taking our delivery so much longer because they have to go through the detour. We had to cancel many orders because of a car accident. When we don’t have [County Road] 209 the only way to get around was [County Road] 220 or [State Road] 16, which is about 30 miles around,” said Bulut.
She added that a statement made to News4JAX in June by the Project Administrator Ed Dendor, who said the construction only added a two-and-a-half mile detour — roughly five extra minutes drivetime — was inaccurate.
“It was wrong. From where I live and there is a subdivision after my house is almost 11 miles. And I live right across from Ronnie Vanzant [Park],” Bulut said.
Numerous residents also expressed the same sentiments about the diversions.
Bulut added that the pizza restaurant received some help from residents, saying that County Commissioner Kristen Burke purchased $500 of pizzas to try and offset their losses.