Bridge Work Creates Divide Between Grocery Store, Sacramento County
RIO LINDA (CBS13) — A Rio Linda business owner is fired up and frustrated by a county road closure she says could have a catastrophic impact on traffic getting to her grocery store.
Sacramento County is replacing the Rio Linda Bridge and plans a road closure in both directions during construction that could last three months.
A suggested detour route is in place that Coleen Ung said will divert traffic away from her store, Bing's Market.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but they brought it to our table," Ung said. "It's just ridiculous."
Sacramento County notified nearby residents and business-owners this week the crumbling 1939 Rio Linda Bridge will be replaced starting July 9. That means a complete closure of the roadway and main artery that crosses it.
Ung says the short notice is unfair. And the county should keep a single lane open, staggering traffic flow. No traffic is no good for sales.
"We're looking at anywhere from a 30 to 40 percent drop," Ung said.
Sacramento County Spokesperson Matt Robinson said they don't expect construction to cause a significant disruption for the nearby businesses.
"We want to make sure that everybody understands we're not doing this to harm a business," Robinson said. "We're trying to make it easier for people to travel up and down the road."
Robinson says the county can't keep a single lane open while replacing a bridge and the county is only required to give construction notices of 10 days.
"Even though it's not a month in advance, we still are within our 10-day window," Robinson said.
"For the county to say that they only have to give us 10 days notice, that's disingenuous on their part," Ung said. "It's ridiculous."
A Sacramento County project to build a bridge.
"We're trying to serve the community as quickly as possible," Robinson said.
For the owner of Bing's Market, it's creating more of a divide.
"They're going to destroy people's livelihoods," Ung said.
