Logan Salah, manager of the Boost Mobile store on Wilcox Boulevard, waits for customers in the store Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Wilcox tunnel remains closed for maintenance, and some Wilcox Boulevard businesses have expressed concerns about the continued closure's effect on their business.Wilcox Tunnel update
What: City hosts two update meetings on Monday about Wilcox TunnelFirst: 4:30 p.m. at Eastdale Youth and Family Development CenterLast: 6 p.m. Avondale Center
Boost Mobile manager Logan Salah saw his store sales plummet more than 50 percent when the Wilcox Tunnel closed. He said he won't attend any more meetings about the tunnel work - it wastes time and he is convinced no one cares.
Salah said his store dropped from activating at least 110 cellphones a month before the closure to 43 this month.
"If the mayor had a business on Wilcox Boulevard, that tunnel would be open," he said.
Berke said he does appreciate area entrepreneurs, and he or someone from city government will meet with merchants and residents Monday to give an update. City spokeswoman Marissa Bell said Friday it was uncertain whether Berke himself would attend.
The Wilcox Tunnel closed Aug. 17 for a $2 million renovation intended to make it safer, stop water leaks and add more lighting. In August, city personnel predicted it would be finished in February, but later the mayor said it might take longer if sandblasting reveals there is serious damage to the 85-year-old structure.
Meetings are scheduled Monday on both sides of the tunnel. The first is at 4:30 p.m. at Eastdale Youth and Family Development Center. The next is at 6 p.m. at the Avondale Center.
Bell said the city recently placed more detour signs showing routes around the closed tunnel in response to a request from a business representative.
"We pray that it's on target," said John Taylor, president of Taylor Funeral Home on Wilcox Boulevard, who called a meeting recently with the mayor about the tunnel. "We have a lot of businesses that have experienced a drop in business."
The tunnel is a main artery to downtown Chattanooga and carries nearly 15,500 people a day, including residents from Ooltewah and Harrison, said Councilman Yusuf Hakeem, who led several district meetings on the tunnel's renovation.
On Friday, a giant construction curtain hanging from the top of Wilcox Tunnel to the street blocked views of inside work, but contractors coming out said sandblasting is complete and they are repairing cracks and leaks.
Sonja Wade, who works at Jane of Trades Upscale Resale on Wilcox, questioned why it took so long for the work to begin. Workers come regularly now, but for the first couple of months, the tunnel was closed with very little activity, she said.
"It's hurt business tremendously," Wade said.
Several merchants say they support the tunnel improvements but they need them to happen more quickly.
Little Caesars executive Billy Jensen spoke about sales at the Little Caesars store at Dodson Avenue less than a mile away.
"We've seen a similar drop in sales, close to 20 percent over the last few months, which is a significant dollar amount," he said. "We are definitely in favor of the project, but we are in favor of completion of the project, as well."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yput man@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6431.