Downtown Vibrations: Bridge Construction Makes Area Businesses Shake

You literally could feel the ground shake in parts of downtown Millburn on Wednesday and Thursday.

The construction crews working on the Millburn Avenue bridge project were installing sheet and bridge piles over the two days, and it caused loud pounding and caused the ground and area businesses to shake.

"You get a taste of what it's like to live in California," joked Andrew Morgan, Millburn Deli owner. He described that his hands were shaking as he was trying to make one of the deli's most popular items, the sloppy joe, and the light fixtures would shake too. It can be hard to hear over the pounding from the construction, but the deli workers are used to a loud environment, he said. "We just yell over (the construction noise)," he said.

John Buchholz, Downtown Millburn president, sent area business owners an e-mail on Wednesday regarding the project, stating the work causing the vibrations would continue through Friday. Plus there is someone monitoring the vibrations in the surrounding buildings, which are within permitted limits, he said.

On Friday, Buchholz said in an interview the contractor has made provisions to reduce the vibrations in the area. Plus more meters were placed on the first floors of area businesses.

He also said the contractor, Cruz Construction, has worked quickly to remedy problems when they have popped up. He said on Thursday the workers hit a sewer line that served, among other buildings, Futter's Shoes. But by late Friday morning the sewer line had been repaired and service was restored in the area.

But the construction is having an effect on the area businesses. Morgan said he's seen a decline in business and said it was mainly because the foot traffic is not what it normally is.

"(Downtown) is not conducive to pedestrian traffic," he said. "People are avoiding downtown."

If people do come to downtown Millburn, he said, they do their business and leave. They don't stick around and walk like they normally would.

But area businesses are doing what they can to remind customers they are open during construction. Deborah Gilbert Smith, Gito and Samurai Sushi are among the businesses in the area that have installed signs reminding people they are open. Morgan said he has similar signs planned.

Plus he is reminding people through social media like the Millburn Deli's Facebook page and Twitter feed that the lot adjacent to the business is still open, he said. People may not realize the lot is open because of how the cones are configured in the street. Deli workers had installed a paper sign and attached it to one of the construction barrels to alert people the lot was open.