KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some businesses in North Knoxville continue to struggle as construction work continues for another month along North Broadway, so city leaders decided to show them some support on Wednesday to encourage others to do the same.
The Knoxville Utilities Board has been replacing old water and wastewater infrastructure that's more than a century old for a few months, which has created issues for drivers and businesses in the construction zone near Fulton High School.
In March, WBIR reported that Time Out Deli was particularly affected by the construction because it made it difficult to access their parking lot. They said it was driving off customers.
"They stopped the traffic light, and now nobody stops," owner Yadira Lopez said. "People cannot get in, and people cannot get out."
Knoxville City Councilmember Lauren Rider represents that corridor of North Broadway and was joined by Mayor Indya Kincannon and other Knoxville leaders to surprise the deli on Wednesday to help drum up support for them and other nearby businesses impacted by the work.
"We have this deli here that's a great lunch stop for people in the community and there's a lot of construction outside and it's blocking their driveway," Rider said. "It's making it a little difficult to get it, people are maybe making other choices for lunch, so we wanted to get people to come back in and make sure to give them a good lunch crowd to help support the business."
Lopez she and her husband were appreciative of the help.
"In supporting us today, we're very grateful," she said.
KUB said the project is supposed to be finished in June. During construction, KUB said it sent mailers to notify local businesses. KUB said in March it planned to reach out to the owners of Time Out Deli to discuss their concerns.