Rochester’s months-long Adams Street closure is turning a $7 million road project into a financial emergency for some local businesses, with owners reporting sales declines of up to 80% and one storefront already gone. The shutdown has rerouted traffic, complicated parking and made a short trip through town feel like a small expedition.
Nesmith Diner and Catering told CBS Pittsburgh that revenue fell at least 50% during the closure, after sales dropped 60% early in the project. The Hilltop restaurant reported an even steeper decline, with an employee saying business was down between 70% and 80%.
Philly Pretzel Factory Beaver permanently closed shortly after construction began, with the owners blaming weak sales and the loss of Adams Street access, according to Beaver County Radio. Rochester Turners has allowed Nesmith Diner to use its parking lot, an improvised workaround that gives customers somewhere to pull in while the main corridor remains blocked.
A Road Project With A Long Detour For Main Street Shops
The Route 68 reconstruction covers roughly 1.3 miles between the Rochester roundabout and Sunflower Road in Rochester Township. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says the $7.04 million project includes full-depth roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, curb work, traffic signals, pavement markings and other upgrades.
The long-term closure began in April and shut Route 68 between the roundabout at Adams Street and Jefferson Street at Virginia Avenue. PennDOT says local access to homes and businesses is being maintained, but drivers are using detours and side streets, creating the kind of friction that can turn a convenient stop into an easy pass.
Residents and workers warned about that traffic shift when construction began. WPXI reported that neighbors were concerned about trucks using side streets, while workers said the closure could make everyday travel and local events more difficult.
PennDOT Now Says Earlier Reopening Is Possible
The timeline may be the first piece of good news for merchants. PennDOT said Thursday that utility companies completed their work within the past month and that the contractor expects to begin paving in early August, raising hopes that the road could reopen by Labor Day instead of the previous mid-November estimate, according to CBS Pittsburgh.
That target is not a guarantee, and the project’s earlier schedule called for completion in late fall. Business owner Chuck Mignanelli has contacted Gov. Josh Shapiro about the impact of the closure, as local operators press for relief before another stretch of lost summer traffic passes by.
For now, Rochester’s businesses are left competing with construction equipment, detour signs and the increasingly familiar argument that customers can still get there. They may be able to—but after months of plunging sales, owners say the harder question is whether enough customers will keep trying.
