TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Abraham Abouahmed opened City Hall Grille and Drinks in 1979, and while business is usually booming, the Reynolds Road bridge replacement has taken a toll on traffic.
At one point, the construction even caused the facility to run out of water.
“We had to close when the water broke yesterday because we were already under a boil advisory that we weren’t notified about,” Abouahmed said.
Abouahmed added that he contacted the city, various departments and even wrote to the mayor’s office. However, he has not yet received a response.
13abc reached out to city officials, but no one was available for comment.
“I’m just asking for communication, just keep me aware of what could go wrong. At least we’d have a warning to prepare for the best or the worst. You can always prepare for something if you have some knowledge.” Abouahmed said.
Kelsie Hoagland, ODOT’s public information officer, said while ODOT does the road work, the city is responsible for the water lines.
Hoagland added that he understands how inconvenient the construction is, but it is necessary.
“Once we see these conditions deteriorate, it’s very critical to eventually be able to do a bridge replacement. Whether that was five years ago, whether that was today, or whether that was down the road,” Hoagland said. .
According to ODOT, utility line replacements and relocations are common on projects like the Reynolds Road one.
Hoagland said bridge replacements can even affect Internet, phone or power or water lines.
“[it’s] the things that actually travel under the road that we don’t think about when we’re driving,” Hoagland said.
Hoagland said residents and businesses in the area should prepare for a full 15-day closure of Reynolds Road beginning Sept. 12. ODOT will send out notices and anyone with questions can contact Hoagland.
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