Local Businesses Excited About Construction Relief on 13th Avenue

It’s the news many people in the metro have been waiting for… 13th Avenue South in Fargo is set to open completely Friday.

That has not only drivers happy; business owners in the area say this is a boost for sales.

It’s been a long six months for business owners along 13th Avenue.

“With the road construction going on it was a roller coaster ride for sales,” said Lee Paseka, who is owner of Sweet Dreams Confections. “Some days were pretty good, some days were a little slow but overall it wasn’t too bad.”

He says his regular customers weren’t deterred by the road construction but that wasn’t the case for everyone.

“The out–of–towners had a little rougher time,” explained Paseka, “but it’s going to be a godsend that it’s all done and it’s going to look real nice.”

Of course, even for locals, road work can be a headache.

“People can get back into their regular driving patters again which is very important because convenience is priority for most folks.”

There’s still a bunch of construction equipment and a few lane closures on the road but by tomorrow all of that is going to be gone.

And this all comes at a perfect time for Paseka.

“It’s going right into our biggest fourth quarter of the year so with the holiday time, if Mother Nature cooperates, it should be a good season.”

Mother Nature didn’t return our request for an interview but City of Fargo Engineers say Paseka won’t have to worry about construction for a long time.

“Businesses out there can now breathe easy,” said City of Fargo Transportation engineer Jeremy Gorden. “We shouldn’t be touching the road for many, many years.”

Gorden says next year’s big project will be widening the 32nd Avenue South ramp to I–29.