Onawa main street construction nearly done on one side

ONAWA, Iowa (KCAU) — Onawa’s main street has been under construction since April. The project was expected to be done in October. Now, after more than six months of construction, one side of the street is almost complete.

“It’s been pretty hectic. A lot of people have been complaining,” said Elizabeth Harlan, nail technician at Reflections Hair Nails and Tanning. “We’re just hoping that they stay on top of it and get it done as soon as possible. We were hoping that it would be done by now but it’s dragged on.”

The city of Onawa has been undergoing construction on its main street in the past several months as part of its plan to renovate the downtown area.

After having their storefront parking shut down for months, the local shops are excited to have their parking again. However, the renovations have caused some confusion.

“A lot of people still use the side roads and the side parking and our back parking to get in here because they just don’t know what’s going on,” Harlan said.

The north side of the street is still waiting for their new parking spaces to be put in.

With construction stopped for the winter, the city has reopened the front parking for the businesses along the north side of the street, and the shops could not be more grateful.

“It’s just a relief,” said Frannie’s Cafe owner Jade Johnson. “We have our older community that wouldn’t be able to come eat without that closer parking, especially with the winter months coming. We don’t have to worry as much about people slipping and falling since they have such a shorter walk. We were really worried that that was going to be an issue parking on the side streets and the back of the restaurant.”

Despite frustration from the town, some Onawa business owners are choosing to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s taking longer than it was supposed to, which I think is expected for any construction project,” Johnson said. “But it’s been difficult. I definitely think there’s more negative than positive, but I’m hoping at the end it’s as beautiful as it’s supposed to be and it’ll be worth the wait.”

If the weather permits, the south side of the street will have parking lines and signs put in place by the end of the week.