CENTRAL- For over a year, Caitlin Coburn cut hair at a salon on Wax Road, but she says business has never been slower.

The reason? Ongoing construction on Wax Road is causing heavier traffic and frustrating delays for customers trying to reach local businesses.

"On a weekly basis I do anywhere between 70 and 100 haircuts myself, and that’s not including everybody else in the shop... last week I did 30," Coburn said. She said the drop "greatly affected our business."

A recent meeting was held to address the problems facing businessowners in this area.

Central's mayor, Wade Evans, Mayor of Central, cited unnecessary traffic through the area as a reason for delays.

"There’s no reason, unless you’re going to a home or a business on that road, you don’t need to just be driving through on that road," Evans said.

While the primary plan of working in 15-minute periods is still ongoing, a significant shift is that the DOTD will now put up signage giving an alternate detour route once one is decided. 

"Otherwise, you’re going to sit and you’re going to add to the problem. You know, there’s enough citizens that have to access that road and we have to make sure that they can travel on that road. We don’t need to add to it by other cars that don’t need to be there.”

In addition to the signage, Evans confirmed the contractor has agreed on working earlier times in the morning and early in the afternoon to help avoid traffic backups, with the expectation that "other than that traffic should flow well."

This change aims to improve travel times for those who must use the road, and critically, help bring business back to people like Coburn.

"If people really want to get somewhere, they’ll figure out a way to get there and hopefully they’ll figure out a way to get people here," she concluded, looking forward to the day her salon chair is consistently full again.