Drivers and merchants along Larchmont’s Palmer Avenue who’ve been negotiating a maze of construction cones and lane closures recently are are now bracing for an extended disruption of traffic and commerce.
The work to install new water lines to the construction site at 1912 Palmer eliminated parking spaces and cut car traffic to one lane in each direction from 9:30 in the morning t0 2:30 in the afternoon recently. The street work was nearing completion when crews hit a snag in the form of a gas line in their path.
Now, merchants are being told to expect street and parking disruptions well into October as Con Ed is called to assist. Merchants who depend on foot traffic and ample parking spaces for their customers are groaning with disappointment.
Sue, the manager of Pink on Palmer, says simply “It’s not good, too many customers give up after looking for parking. They tell me they drive over, circle the block, then move on.”
One customer chimed in with full agreement, “If there’s no parking I drive on and come back some other time. Today I was lucky,” she said.
One merchant estimated the work on Palmer had cut foot-traffic by 40%. Lisa, an employee at Palmer Jewelers, a few doors down, concurred. “This is not good news,” she said about the extended road work. “The last few days it’s been really bad.”
Larchmont Police say they’re working to keep the road fully open during morning and evening rush hours. Traffic cones and police tape are being taken down when work finishes in the afternoon.
The property has been vacant since November 2016 when a fire destroyed a four story building including 12 apartments on the site. The new structure with ten apartments and ground floor retail is scheduled to be completed sometime this Winter.
author
Lou Young is a veteran journalist who has been honored with multiple awards including 10 Emmys. He retired in 2017 after 43 years in TV News and was recently appointed a Trustee in the Village of Mamaroneck, and has suspended reporting duties.
