Cascade Road business owners meet with mayor over construction frustration

Cascade Road business owners encouraged

Several Business owners along Cascade Road in southwest Atlanta say their meeting Wednesday with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was encouraging and they believe financial help is on the way. The businesses complain they have taken an economic hit because the city has closed the streets and created detours as the Cascade Complete Streets Project has dragged on for two and a half years.

ATLANTA - Dozens of business owners up and down the Cascade Road Corridor in southwest Atlanta say ongoing city road construction has killed their businesses.

For years, FOX 5 has reported on how construction projects have hurt the businesses that call Cascade Road home. On Wednesday, some of the businessowners met with Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta to try and get some answers.

MORE: Atlanta business owners frustrated by Cascade Road construction project

What we know:

The over-$18 million Complete Streets project was started in 2021 and is supposed to widen sidewalks, enhance bus stops, and extend bike lanes on Cascade Road from the Atlanta City Limits to Willis Mill Road.

Parts of the two-mile project had to be redone after the design did not leave enough room for fire trucks and ambulances, extending the finishing date to mid-2026.

The construction has led to part of the road being blocked for months. Due to the reconfiguration of the roadway to address community concerns, the removal of the detour was delayed from July to September. 

The group of business owners have joined forces with former Ambassador Andrew Young to call for a comprehensive plan for an economic recovery that includes grants from the city.

The group claims the city of Atlanta promised them help in the past, but only gave them an Invest Atlanta program that offered forgivable loans.

Cascade Road business owners meet with mayor

Dozens of businesses up and down the Cascade Road Corridor in southwest Atlanta say city road construction has literally killed their businesses. Wednesday, they met with Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta to get answers.

What they're saying:

"The equity we're asking for is the same as the water main break project got. That kind of project - of course the city was expedient with the Highway 85 closure - that kind of expediency and communication is what we're looking for,"  J.R. Crickets owner Trent Floyd said. 

The other side:

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Department of Transportation says the department has accelerated the completion of Cascade Road Complete Streets project. 

City Councilwoman Marci Overstreet, the vice president of the Transportation Committee, has also called for Invest Atlanta to explore the possibility of emergency grant funding.