BUSINESS owners on Wodonga’s South Street are upset at the timing of major roadworks outside their shops, with one saying he was losing $10,000 in sales a month.
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Wodonga Council is upgrading the road ahead of the Mann shopping centre development, which is due to start early next year.
Most businesses The Border Mail spoke to this week said they supported the roadworks, but questioned why they were being done in the lead-up to Christmas.
Exact Computers owner Greg Haysom said he was losing $10,000 in sales a month, which would take years to recover.
He said while the improvements were needed, the disruption would have been better in the quiet post-Christmas period.
“At both ends of the road it basically looks like it’s closed,” he said.
“People think the road is closed and too hard to come through.”
Scales Marine and Reptile owner David Castley said businesses had initially been told the works would be done early next year.
They were then given three working days’ notice that the works would be brought forward to October, he said.
“We were given three days’ notice to mitigate the impact,” he said.
“The initial talk was that it was going to take five weeks, we later found out that was for one half of the road.
Man Zone owner Vanessa Stelfox said trade at her store had declined about 80 per cent.
“We definitely support the development, we think it will be beneficial to the future of Wodonga,” she said.
“We’re upset about the three days’ notice to say they were ripping the road out.”
Wodonga Council community relations manager Sue Beattie said there had been a late change to the works schedule.
A council market day will be held on South Street on Saturday from 10am, which traders have welcomed.
