Sunbury businesses feeling the pinch of prolonged roadworks

Prolonged roadworks along one of Sunbury’s busiest drags have several businesses feeling the pinch.

Roadworks at the Gap Rd and Horen St intersection. Picture: Rob Leeson

Sunbury businesses are feeling the pinch of delayed roadworks, with several saying they’ve experienced losses since works began.

The Gap Rd and Horne St intersection works formed part of a $9.6 million State Government upgrade to install lights and a pedestrian crossing.

Originally slated to be finished by late 2018, the timeline has since been extended until the autumn of 2019.

SUNBURY ROUNDABOUT DESIGN WORKS UNDERWAY

SUNBURY ROUNDABOUT VOTED WORST INTERSECTION

ROUNDABOUT TO BE REPLACED BY TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Loz’s Fish and Chips owner Norma Barbar said there had been some weekends when the entire street was closed.

“I understand we all have to go through things for progress, but not at the cost of my living,” she said.

“People are staying away from our little hub because they have to wait in traffic.”

Ms Barbar said she had also raised issues about customers struggling to find parking because of an influx of contractors’ parking.

Sunbury Domino’s franchisee Maunik Patel said he’d also experienced loss.

“My drivers have to wait for a long time. They have to wait around to get into the stores. It’s impacting the customers,” he said.

Both said they’d been in consultation with VicRoads throughout the upgrade process.

VicRoads metro southeast projects director Michael Barker said that once completed, the upgrades “will improve travel times and ease congestion for the tens of thousands of drivers who travel along these roads every day”.

About 21,5000 vehicles travel along Horne St every day.

@JessCoates4

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