Closure of Michigan and Fuller intersection creates problems for local businesses

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Businesses at the intersection of Michigan and Fuller in Grand Rapids have been hit hard as construction has been going on there for over a month.

The situation is likely to get worse: next week the entire intersection is to be closed.

It is one of the busiest intersections in Grand Rapids and the road is limited to one lane in one direction until the intersection is closed for emergency sewer repairs.

“The road was partially closed for nearly a month,” said David Decker, co-owner of Decker & Sons.

David Decker, co-owner of Decker & Sons, says the construction has caused major problems for his business.

“This has certainly had a dramatic impact on our sales, but also on the safety of our customers and employees,” Decker said.

Safety is compromised by individuals using the Decker & Sons parking lot as a shortcut.

“Someone is going to get hit,” Decker said.

Meanwhile, the Tropical Smoothie Café across the street costs thousands.

“No notification. No warning that this was going to happen,” said Heather Hendrickson, owner of Michigan Street Tropical Smoothie Café.

Heather Hendrickson, owner of Tropical Smoothie on Michigan Street, says she didn’t even get a warning

“This will have a huge impact. We are currently losing half of our revenue,” Hendrickson said.

David Decker received a letter from the city of Grand Rapids stating that the streets were closed due to urgent sewer repairs.

Heather is concerned that people’s livelihoods are at stake. They needed significantly fewer staff because the number of customers was declining. For manager Keimonnee Fields, this is a bitter pill to swallow.

“Many people need to work, but it’s difficult for us if we don’t need a lot of workers,” Fields said.

These companies say they need a rush job for the project. The intersection is expected to be completely closed for at least four weeks.

“When you understand that businesses are the backbone of our communities. With this Tropical Smoothie, we serve our community. We take care of our employees. We’ve helped our employees out of poverty and find opportunities. And they take that away from me. They take it away from our community,” Hendrickson said.

FOX 17 asked the City of Grand Rapids about the intersection and they gave us the following statement:

“The City understands the disruption that projects like this can cause and appreciates the community’s patience while we make these much-needed repairs. We always work to minimize disruption and in this case, we have ensured that pedestrian and vehicle access to all businesses in the area is maintained during necessary construction. Drivers may need to use alternate routes or detours to reach their destination. Detours will be posted on our website, social media and through street signs. There are 4 large information boards in the area that also inform drivers of the closure. We have also distributed this information through local media, neighborhood associations and directly to nearby businesses. This full closure of the intersection will allow our contractors to complete the work as quickly as possible and we anticipate the intersection will reopen in 3-4 weeks.”

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