‘City has not helped at all’: Business owner responds to Belmont Bridge work

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Charlottesville says everything is going well and business owners are getting the help they need during construction of the Belmont Bridge.

However, one business owner says that is not what’s going on.

“The dust, the gravel, the dirt, the roads closed. People can’t get here. It’s been quite bad, some days worse than others, and they don’t seem to really care,” Barbie Brannock, owner of Barbie’s Burrito Barn, said.

Brannock says the construction is hurting her business, as well as others.

“I know Champion has suffered terribly, and Quality Pie. The people that are right here in this little vicinity, like the little, tiny, weird Belmont vicinity. We are that’s it? We are getting it,” she said.

Brannock says the city has been no help.

“We’ve talked to Quality Pie, we’ve worked with Barbie’s, we’ve worked with Beck-Cohen, Champion Brewery. So, if there’s any issues, we certainly encourage anyone to reach out,” Belmont Bridge Project Manager Jeanette Janiczek said.

Janiczek says the project has been trying to be respectful to nearby businesses and homes.

Brannock disagrees: “The city has not helped at all. They have not even looked into it. When my plumbing went out, the city came down here and said it was my fault because I had a grease problem, but it was the bridge’s fault,” she said. “We’re trying to maintain traffic. We’re trying to not be entirely too loud. It is construction.”

“With the traffic shift, I’m also hoping that some of the impact of the current businesses will be shifted over to the other side. So, they’re going to get a little bit of relief from us,” Janiczek said.

The project is expected to be done January 2024.

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