Businesses at Arboretum Village shopping center on Gaston Avenue. Photography by Renee Umsted.
White Rock Alehouse & Brewery emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with a record year of sales, only to then face a literal roadblock: a $6.3 million intersection reconfiguration at Gaston-Garland-Grand.
Co-owners Dave Kirk and Greg Nixon said 2022 was the worst year of sales for the restaurant and bar, which opened at Arboretum Village shopping center in November 2017.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to draw people in, but ultimately, people just don’t want to sit in traffic,” Kirk said. “They don’t come this way anymore. They tell us that straight up.”
After years of planning and receiving public feedback, the Texas Department of Transportation began work on the SH-78 (also known as Garland Road and Grand Avenue) project in December 2021. At the time, the expected completion date for the endeavor, meant to improve safety for vehicular traffic and pedestrians, was spring 2023.
Fall 2023 is now when TxDOT is looking to complete the project. It’s within the time limits of the contract, TxDOT public information officer Kenna Mitchell said.
But that doesn’t mean people are happy about it.
Drivers have not hesitated to complain about the issues associated with the traffic shifts and construction. But business owners around the intersection have been affected by the project, too.
Kirk and Nixon were drawn to Arboretum Village because of its proximity to White Rock Lake and the Santa Fe Trail, a hub for cyclists and runners. People would park at the shopping center, go exercise and then swing by the alehouse after.
That’s not really happening anymore, they said, because of the construction.
“Certainly one of our fears is that this is the new reality for us, that if they’re stopping in all directions, that people are just going to find different routes to get around,” Nixon said.
Kirk said he has asked for assistance from elected officials at the city and state levels. District 9 City Council member Paula Blackmon said her office responded to Kirk and Nixon by connecting them to TxDOT. Kirk said he has also asked TxDOT for help, specifically for assistance with lost revenue, and the department typically just provides updates on the construction progress.
Mitchell said TxDOT continues to be in contact with property owners around 3-G regarding the progress of the project. She also said that based on recent feedback, TxDOT added signage to indicate driveway access points to help direct traffic.
The alehouse co-owners said they have tried drawing in customers by offering weekly specials, but their efforts haven’t proved successful. Nixon said they likely would have reconsidered opening the alehouse at Arboretum Village if they had known the effect the construction would have on their business.
Construction work happens at Gaston-Garland-Grand on Feb. 14, 2023. Photography by Renee Umsted.
Across Gaston Avenue from the alehouse, at Lakeview Centre, is an I Love Juice Bar, which offers smoothies, bowls, juices and other healthy items.
Manager Ethan Saldivar said the store has seen a decline in sales since the construction started. He’s even heard from some customers who are coming in less frequently than they did before, and he said they tell him the construction is the reason why they aren’t visiting as often.
Wasif Malik owns Eco Cleaners, a dry cleaning business next door to the juice bar.
He said he has lost some customers. Some of those who have continued to support his business, which opened in 2015, complain about the project and tell him that they don’t like driving in the area, he said.
“We just hope they finish it in a timely manner,” Malik said. “And hopefully, at the end of the day, it’s going to be much nicer, smoother, traffic flow that would make it worth it — all the time that has been wasted and the effort and money that has gone into the project.”
But other nearby businesses have not been affected as much by the construction, they said.
The Goat is a little further away from the core of the construction work, and owner Adam Testa said the dive bar hasn’t noticed a change in business. Many of the regulars live in the neighborhood and know how to avoid the traffic, he said.
Jeff Amador, a spokesperson for PILF Group, which operates Cane Rosso and Thunderbird Pies, said in an email the eateries near White Rock Lake haven’t seen a big dip in sales. But some delivery drivers have had issues navigating through the traffic, causing delays which could affect customer satisfaction.
“That being said, we are obviously anxious as hell for it to be completed, just like the rest of East Dallas,” Amador said.
