WEST BATH

Business owners in the area of State Road and Congress Avenue are enduring a road closure as part of the reconstruction of a rotary near the Bath line.

Beginning Oct. 7, construction began on 150 feet of roadway between the roundabout at Congress Street and Plant’s Seafood in Bath to replace a 4-footsquare granite block culvert with a 5-foot-by-10-foot precast concrete structure with header walls to alleviate flood-prone conditions in the area.

The Maine Department of Transportation project is scheduled to affect traffic in the area for two to four weeks. All work must be completed by Nov 9. Wyman & Simpson Inc., of Richmond, is the contractor.

During the work, no pedestrian traffic is allowed and traffic is being detoured using Congress Street, U.S. Route 1/Leeman Highway and New Meadows Road.

While vehicular traffic has been restricted, business owners are taking the work in stride.

“Business seems to be slightly slower, but it is most likely due to the summer ending and less people being around,” said Merle Ambrose, owner of Ambrose Auto at 30 State Road.

Ambrose said a project that should take only a few weeks is no match for having been in business more than than 25 years, especially since his business isn’t based on walk-in clients.

However, “My customers have reported being inconvenienced having to drive extra miles to get to the shop,” he said.

Jack Harworth, co-owner of the Napa Auto Parts store nearby, had a slightly different take: He estimates sales have dropped approximately 10 percent since the project began, and said deliveries are taking longer because of the detour.

“It seems that this project might be taking longer than we had originally been told,” Harworth said.

Harworth said his customers reported being inconvenienced and were looking forward to the project ending.

AMY LILLY is a Times Record correspondent based in West Bath.