Construction reroutes Burnet businesses

BURNET, Texas (KXAN) - Some business owners located in the U.S. 281 Corridor near the intersection of U.S. 281and State Highway 29 in Burnet are relocating due to a major construction project slated to start in December.

The Texas Department of Transportation plans to rebuild U.S. 281 from The Green Mile, north of the city, to Houston Clinton Drive.  Simultaneously, State Highway 29 will be rebuilt from Fanning Street to West Hill Street.

Construction crews will be permanently taking out parking in front of strip malls in the corridor, making businesses in one strip mall inaccessible.

"Who is going to want a carry a big sign to their car a quarter mile away?" asked Sara Fetty, owner of Fetty Fast Sign & Tees.

Fetty has decided to move her businesses, which has been at its current location for 9 years, a few miles away to Polk Street.

She has put up banners advertising her business is moving, but worries customers won't follow.

"What if they don't see the signs?" Fetty questioned.

Fetty believes customers have convenient parking, dropping them just steps from her store, and without it, her business would go bust.

It is a feeling shared by many business owners on the block who are also contemplating moves to keep customers.

"You get older customers sometimes or people that are pregnant and stuff and they don't wan to carry a huge computer into the business and if you dont have a you don't havea backdoor available you could end up with problems," said Tanya Caskey, who runs her family business CUBE IT next door to Fetty.

Fetty is scheduled to move August 14.

This one year construction project is estimated to cost $5.8 million.