BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
DELHI TOWNSHIP -- Bob Gruen has been running his Sunoco service station on Delhi Pike for 23 years. Now he just hopes to make it through the next two.
He worries that a two-year project to widen Delhi Pike will chase away his customers, many of whom he knows by name. Preliminary work on the project began last spring, and heavy construction is set to begin early next year.
"I think a lot of people are going to bypass us," Mr. Gruen said. "People go where it is easier. My main concern is surviving through the construction season."
Already, the project has claimed the landscaping he does each spring. The plants were in about two weeks when construction crews relocating utilities dug them up.
In addition to widening the road from two lanes to four, the project will include new concrete, curbs and catch basins, said Ted Hubbard, chief deputy Hamilton County engineer. The county will also repair driveways and grass that they disturb. The work is to begin in January and be finished by December.
First devised in 1991, the project was not done then because of public outcry, Mr. Hubbard said.
"We did not move forward with it because there was opposition," he said. "Ever since that time, all you hear about are complaints about Delhi Road."
Studies show that daily traffic counts on the road have been as high as 19,000 and the improvements are needed, Mr. Hubbard said. Congestion is a problem.
"Once the roadway's done, I think it's going to help the businesses," he said. "I think there's going to be some real benefits when we're done."
The work will improve access to Delhi Township and help traffic flow. "This really is needed," Mr. Hubbard said. "It's the umbilical cord to Delhi Township."
But some business owners hope that they are still around when the construction is completed.
Dan Ryan, vice president of specialty shop Mr. Mugs, said that if four lanes are built, the road could take out his parking lot and come to within 5 feet of his front door.
"If they do the four lanes, we're probably going to have to move," he said. "We'll lose all of our parking up front. Something does need to definitely be done, but we don't need a superhighway through here."
Other business owners share his concerns.
Mike Little opened a tanning salon on Delhi Road last May. Spring -- when the road work should be in full swing -- is his busy time.
"I'm scared to death," he said. "If they get delayed, it could be detrimental to my business."
Also, he is wondering about his hair-styling salon across the street. He is concerned that customers from downtown won't want to fight the construction.
At the bottom of Delhi Road near the Cincinnati line, John Sagel, who owns Billie's Pony Keg, is negotiating with the county for the land needed to widen the road.
"If I had my choice, I wouldn't sell it to them," he said. "We've got to do some major remodeling to accommodate it."
The project would wipe out much of his parking lot.
"We need to readjust our store," he said. "My main concern . . . is how do I make my business whole again."
Back at the Sunoco station, Mr. Gruen waves to a customer and calls out to another.
"Compared to what we're going to go through, we haven't been through anything yet," he said. "Everybody on the street's concerned, big time."
