FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

SUPERIOR - Business at the Spur on Hammond Avenue has been slow, to say the least.

"We're down 60 percent as far as gasoline and in store sales," Owner Frank Germann said.

The store has lost more than half of its business because of ongoing construction on the Blatnik Bridge that has closed North-bound lanes since May.

And if it weren't for deli sales, the owner said they probably could not have stayed afloat.

"It's money that we've lost and we'll never get it back," Germann said.

It is a similar story for other businesses in the area.

The Hammond Liquor store across the street has seen a 40-percent dip in sales and an even bigger drop is expected when closures switch to the southbound lanes in a few weeks.

MnDOT said the construction and closures are still set to wrap up in mid to late October, even though the switch over from north-bound to south–bound closures is happening a little later than expected.

"We figured around mid–summer and the switch is going to take place around August 23rd," Beth Petrowske from MnDOT said.

Germann said he was led to believe the northbound lanes would re–open in mid-July, not a month later.

He said a longer delay of walk–in traffic will continue to cost him thousands.

"In our business it's called traffic and location," Germann said. "We have a great location but you need traffic and there's no traffic going by here."

And while the work on the bridge was something that had to be done, some still feel detoured when it comes to the impact left behind.

"There seems to be no empathy for us whatsoever, it's just 'that's too bad.'" Germann said. "I think the states really need to take a look at this and at least work with businesses."

While the change to southbound closures next month will be good news to Spur, the Hammond Liquor Store across the street unfortunately, will see the exact opposite effect.

Managers say it’s because traffic won't be passing along their side of the road anymore.

However, Pizza Hut down the street says they've been making the best of all this by running some "bridge specials" that have actually helped them.