July 31, 2025
After three years of construction on Cascade Road, local business owners are fed up with detours that divert and discourage patronage.
Business owners on Cascade Road are speaking out about the years-long construction project impeding their businesses.
Business owners say the delays and poor planning are hindering customer access and are playing a major part in declining revenue. On July 29, concerned citizens and business owners met to discuss the disturbance.
Trinket Lewis, owner of MoreLyfe Juice Co., said her sales dropped from nearly 950 customers a month in 2023 to just 380 now. Trinket blames detours near I‑285 for blocking what used to be robust lunch traffic.
“We’re averaging about a 72% drop daily,” she told Atlanta News First.
J.R. Crickets owner Trent Floyd says that after a million-dollar investment in his restaurant, patronage is at a standstill. Floyd hoped for an increase in customers as the neighborhoods on Cascade Road are flourishing.
“That momentum came to a screeching halt… It’s critical for the corridor’s vitality,” Floyd told the Atlanta Voice.
Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet was vocal in her support of the local business community.
“These are not minor inconveniences—they are critical issues with real economic consequences for your livelihoods and our community’s cultural and commercial fabric,” Collier Overstreet wrote in an open letter.”
She continued, “I have advocated for Invest Atlanta to explore the provision of emergency grant funding—not loans—to support Cascade business owners during this time,” she noted. “Immediate financial relief can provide a vital bridge to ensure your businesses survive the temporary disruption and continues to thrive once construction is complete.”
Despite a $21 million investment plan approved in August 2021, the project has become a symbol of poor planning. Sidewalks were built too wide, and street lanes too narrow, failing to accommodate fire trucks and forcing redesigns that added months of delay—the initial design called for road resurfacing, traffic signal upgrades, and extended sidewalks.
Invest Atlanta has dispersed zero grants to date despite promises, Collier Overstreet confirmed. As a result, many business owners now wonder if Cascade Heights will survive. The roadwork has no foreseeable end date. Currently, business owners and residents alike will face disruptions. Additionally, they deal with uncertainty about the future of the local economy.
Swing by Cascade Road now, and instead of foot traffic, you’ll see dusty sidewalks and rows of “Closed” signs.
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