DENVER, Colo. — Some business owners along Colfax Avenue say foot traffic has declined dramatically as construction on the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project shifts into high gear.
Fences and cones have surrounded the front of Lifetime Tattoo on Colfax Avenue for several months now.
The shop, which is right next to Voodoo Donuts, is located on a stretch of Colfax Avenue that sees heavy foot traffic — but that’s no longer the case, according to tattoo artist Josh Bailey.
"I saw people come across the street, people come out of the donut shop, and I heard them go, 'Oh, they're open.' Everyone's assumption is that everyone's closed on this section because there's this giant fence," said Bailey.
The $280 million project broke ground in October after more than a decade of planning. The BRT will run from Denver's Union Station to I-225 on Colfax Avenue. It will be center-running between Broadway and Yosemite, with a dedicated transit lane in each direction
When all is said and done, buses should arrive every four minutes along the busy corridor 24/7.
The project is moving in phases, starting on Colfax between Broadway and Williams.
It’s slightly ahead of schedule, though, as work between Williams and Monroe is now underway.
“They've expanded the construction further than they had initially planned, but with large construction projects like this, there's a constant evolution of what's going on for a variety of reasons,” explained Frank Locantore, the executive director of the Colfax Avenue Buisiness Improvement District. “One, you don't know what you're going to find underneath ground when you dig it up. And two, you want to be... if something is slowing you down at a a particular location, you want to be able to continue working, and that's why they've expanded. Part of the reason why they've expanded the construction area.”
Bailey said they've taken a big hit since work began in front of the business, considering they rely mostly on foot traffic.
Oftentimes, he told Denver7, people would swing by to get a tattoo after getting a donut next door.
"That's kind of like our thing. We take walk-ins every day. Lot of shops don't do that nowadays, which is fine. We love doing it, and they're making that not a possibility," he said.
It was quiet when Denver7 visited the shop on Thursday, something Bailey said wasn't the case prior to the project's groundbreaking.
"They keep putting up 'sidewalk closed' signs. If you're saying 'sidewalk closed,' and someone's like, 'Oh, I'm gonna go get a tattoo today,' and they see that, 'Oh, I can't go in there. It's closed. They must be closed,'" said Bailey.
But Locantore said there's some relief on the way.
"The orders have been placed for a variety of different signs. Some that will be on the fencing where the construction is, that say, you know, for the pedestrian that's walking at eye level here, that say a business is open with arrows to help direct the pedestrian traffic," he said.
Those signs aim to alleviate some of that confusion that's been happening among pedestrians.
There could also be some help for these businesses to pay their bills.
Officials from the Denver Economic Development and Opportunity division told Denver7 the agency is working on finalizing federal grants to offset some of the losses for these mom-and-pop shops, though details on who would qualify — for example, independent contractors like tattoo artists — are still unclear.
The city is on track to open those applications in March.
Bailey said they'll continue to stick it out — even if it hurts until then.
"We're real tight-knit here. We're a family, so we don't really leave. We tough it up."
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