Several Fort Worth businesses near the site of the new Dickies Arena have felt the squeeze of traffic congestion and construction backups for more than a year.
But with the start of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo this weekend, those business owners will get a bit of a reprieve.
For the duration of the Stock Show and Rodeo, the contractor will stop street construction on Montgomery Street between Camp Bowie Boulevard and Interstate 30. This will allow the street to be open again to four lanes as traffic is expected to be heavy for the Stock Show.
“I think it will make a huge difference. I think there are a lot of people that stopped coming over this way because it is such a bother getting through,” Alisha Johnson, the hostess at Taco Heads said.
Taco Heads is right across the street from the new Dickies Arena and they are excited for what it will mean to businesses in the area. While they understand the growing pains associated with construction, it hasn’t always been easy.
“We had a few days where water mains were broken and we had to shut business down and stuff like that,” Johnson said. “So, don’t get me wrong, there were some rocky times.”
The Stock Show promises to bring a major upswing in business.
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“We already have people calling weeks in advance to say ‘hey, we’re going to have a big group there. We’re all going to the rodeo. We’d like to come over and have drinks,’” Johnson said.
The construction will begin again in March with hopes of being complete by the fall.