WATERTOWN — Construction on State Highway 16 began back in March. The roadway connecting Watertown and Ixonia was out of commission until Halloween weekend. A month after the work was finally finished, merchants along its corridor are singing its praises.
Dave’s Turf and Marine owner Leni Kahler said her store is a “destination” and not a “location.” Very little of the business that the boat and vehicle dealer gets comes from customers stumbling upon it as they drive by on the country highway. Although the Dave's showroom faces WIS-16, visitors were still able to get to the main entrance on East Gate Drive.
“We stayed busy the entire summer,” she said. “We talked people through the construction and we were able to get them to our store without any problems.”
She thanked the construction crews on the State Highway 16 project.
“Those guys worked long hours,” she said. “I would see them when I would get here in the morning and they would still be working on the highway at 6:30 or 7 at night. I hope everyone appreciates how they got the highway completed so quickly and safely.”
Jake Mertins agreed. Mertins, a marketing manager with Ebert’s Greenhouse Village in Ixonia, said the construction was a “hassle,” but his employees created a map with different overlays of routes on to get to the extensive landscaping and plant emporium.
“Overall, our business did not go down at all,” Mertins said. “We’re a destination so people were able to find us. It was an inconvenience, but we understand the roadway had to be redone. It was a good thing. The new road is beautiful.”
Mertins said over the last year Ebert’s Greenhouse Village had plenty of time to talk with their employees and many of their customers about the pending construction. Fortunately, the location about a mile north of WIS-16 meant that there were plenty of alternate routes for the loyal patrons to pick up flowers, garden vegetables and all the other plants they seek year after year.
“We were sending maps out to our customers with postcards so they knew about the construction ahead of time and how to get here,” he said. “It didn’t catch us by surprise. They gave us plenty of time to get ready for it, and it really helped us."
Ram Timilsina, who owns the BP gas station at 330 N. Summit Ave., said he had to come up with incentives to get people to travel to his location, which suddenly was hidden behind multiple "no through traffic" signs from spring through mid-fall. Timilsina was giving his customers 10 cents off per gallon of gasoline to use his station. He said since State Highway 16 is open, he has dropped the 10 cents to 5 cents a gallon.
“I’m really happy all of the work is completed,” he said. “It looks good, and we’re seeing traffic again."
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