Already battered by a slow economy, business owners in Black Earth and Cross Plains worry the planned reconstruction of Highway 14 this summer could drive local commerce into the ditch.

The project will close Highway 14 from Cross Plains to Mazomanie from June 15 to Aug. 31, forcing most traffic on a lengthy detour several miles to the north.

Local traffic will still be able to use the heavily traveled highway to access homes and businesses. And light traffic, such as cars, will be able to skirt most of the construction by taking Highway KP, which parallels the stretch of Highway 14 that will be under construction.

But the posted detour will direct traffic — including the summer travelers local businesses depend on — to highways 78, F, 19 and 12, bypassing Black Earth and Cross Plains entirely.

“Routing traffic on Highway 12 is going to eliminate a major percentage of our business,” said Susan Meigs, owner of Vintage Liquors in Black Earth. “I’m concerned it could be devastating.”

More than half of Vintage Liquors’ summer business comes from tourists, many from out of state, Meigs said. The store celebrates its second anniversary in June, right after Highway 14 is scheduled to close.

The state Department of Transportation isn’t routing traffic to Highway KP because it isn’t equipped to handle truck traffic, project manager Curt Neuhauser said.

According to the DOT, an average of 12,600 vehicles travel that stretch of Highway 14 each day. Business owners say the traffic is higher during the summer.

Inadequate communication

Tom Parrell, president of the Black Earth Chamber of Commerce, said the village has been working with state officials in recent weeks to come up with an alternative to closing the highway. He said business owners were notified of the project only in the last month.

“We’re obviously concerned about the impact the construction is going to have on the local businesses,” Parrell said. “We’re disappointed we didn’t get more advance notice.”

Jeff Gust, DOT project development supervisor, said the state contacted the village’s engineer in the fall but didn’t do enough to alert businesses when the project was mapped and a construction firm was hired then. A meeting to discuss the project is planned for 4 p.m. Tuesday in Black Earth.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say we didn’t have any communication, but we definitely could have done a better job,” Gust said. “We’re working on other options to make the situation better for the locals.”

Valuable business at risk

The detour, more than the construction, angers Cross Plains business owners who would lose the usual summer traffic between Madison and American Players Theatre in Spring Green.

“If we’re trying to build Cross Plains as a destination, trying to build our identity and showcase our natural assets, we won’t be able to do that if traffic is not coming through Cross Plains,” said Mary Devitt, who opened the Crossroads Coffee House two years ago.

Business owners plan to address the disruption as much as possible with signs alerting drivers that they’re still open for business.

Though many business owners thought the project is related to the federal stimulus bill, Neuhauser said the resurfacing project has been discussed since 2003 and is not related to stimulus money.

The larger project was delayed the last three years due to a lack of funding. But one portion of it — the reconstruction of the intersection of highways 14 and 78 that begins this month — became a priority because of safety concerns.