A portion of Grand Street in New Haven closed Monday as part of a plan to overhaul the Providence and Wooster Railroad crossing.
City officials said the road will close between James Street and East Street for four weeks, until October 23. Pedestrians and bicyclists will still have access, but bikers may be asked to walk through the construction zone.
Vehicles will be detoured around to Chapel Avenue.
City Engineer Pete Lozis said the work is part of a $1.1 million federal project to make railroad crossings safer. Crews will install gates and add a rubberized crossing to make the ride over the tracks smoother.
City officials said there aren't many commercial businesses along the route and they don't expect a major impact to business.
But Joe Pagliaro, who owns Grand Paint & Design on Grand Avenue, said his store is hurt by the closure.
“It’s going to impact my traffic. There’s 5,000 cars a day that go by this store,” Pagliaro said.
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Customer Gerardo Hernandez had to find back roads to reach the store Monday.
"Grand Avenue’s the main street that everybody drives on. Everybody. Nobody knows the back roads that’s the problem. So, people who are not from New Haven, or Fair Haven, especially Fair Haven, they’re not going to know their way here," he said.
