If you’ve driven up or down West Broadway lately, you’ve seen the construction happening on the street.  It’s a nightmare to travel, and it’s even more of a nightmare for small businesses along this main thoroughfare.

The noise, closed sidewalks, lost WiFi connection, and lack of parking spots are all issues that small businesses in this area face while months-long construction has been underway.  Most small business owners want to know how long this will be happening and complain that the City of Boston has not communicated with them at all.

Colleen Dunleavey, owner of Love Child, posted the following message on Instagram story:

It’s been equally frustrating for Justice Pellegrino, owner of Bohdii Boutique located at 398 West Broadway. 

“For the past two years, ongoing construction—first from the 400 West Broadway project and now National Grid work—has severely impacted my business. Entrances were often blocked, sidewalks torn up, and crews constantly in the way, turning access to our store into an obstacle course. It’s been incredibly frustrating watching our sales suffer through no fault of our own.” 

Recently, there was a hearing organized by the Boston City Council earlier this month to audit the City of Boston’s accountability, transparency and accessibility regarding construction sites impacting small businesses. So clearly it’s an issue affecting all neighborhoods in Boston.  Charlestown had a similar situation early this year.

So what can you do? Make the effort to shop/eat/drink local, especially during situations like this. When local small businesses thrive, the whole community thrives!