(ABC 6 News) – Construction has started this week on the Link Bus Rapid Transit project in downtown Rochester, with an end date of 2027.

The big goal is to increase mobility and ease congestion downtown, but construction will cause some disruptions. And some business owners along the route are concerned about the impact.

Tinn’s Grilled Philly Subs on 2nd Street SW is one of the businesses that might be affected.

“I got 27 employees, some of them are going to end up being laid off if the construction keeps making everything slow down, so that’s probably the hardest thing,” said Owner LeRoy Slininger.

However, the issue isn’t just with staffing if business does decline, but with deliveries as well.

“The building next door, we had three parking stalls for the three businesses along this corridor here for DoorDash, and now we’re going to be losing that, so I may have to shut DoorDash down completely as DoorDash drivers are not going to want to walk a block away to come grab their orders,” Slininger said.

Canadian Honker further down the street is a different story. There is still concern there, but because the business was not affected too much by the most recent construction projects near the restaurants back in 2021, they are hopeful the impact of this construction will also stay low.

“It didn’t affect business too terribly much for us, so we’re hopeful that we’ll see the same results this summer,” said Danica Borchardt, floor supervisor at the restaurant.

Current RST passengers also have concerns as this project gets rolling. With the city adding new shelter space at Central Park near the current transit station, it’s been more of a challenge for some bus users to get around, especially those with disabilities.

“I feel for those who are in worse conditions than I am, physically, who otherwise can’t get around this mess down here right now,” said Ryan Stack, an RPT passenger.

But for both businesses, and bus passengers traveling downtown, efforts continue to make this construction period as easy as possible, eventually leading to a new transportation system to be proud of.

“I think it’s great that were bringing in jobs, but we also need to keep in mind people who have mobility issues and not leave them behind,” said Jeff Ulmer, RPT passenger.

Each passenger and business said the city is working with them to try and come up with a solution as construction continues.

The City of Rochester did release the following statement on the project below:

The current lane shift on 2nd Street is anticipated to remain in place for the next four to five weeks. Starting in July and continuing into August, traffic will shift again to accommodate the next phase of construction. A full closure of 2nd Street from 12th Avenue to just east of 14th Avenue is expected to occur, but the timeline for this work is still being coordinated with the contractors.

Throughout the project, driveway access to businesses will be maintained unless alternative arrangements are mutually agreed upon. We will also install pedestrian wayfinding signage to guide foot traffic to business entrances. Patient and emergency vehicle access to Saint Marys Campus will be maintained throughout the project phases. The downtownrochesterconstruction.org website is another tool to help pedestrians, cyclists and drivers navigate to and through the area.

The Saint Marys stop was closed on Monday, June 16. New temporary stops are available on West Center Street at 11th Avenue SW and 16th Avenue SW. Additionally, there is an existing stop with a shelter on 1st Street SW and 16th Avenue SW that is another option for riders in this area.