Portion of Bell Road to close for construction

SURPRISE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Drivers and businesses in the northwest valley are gearing up for a major headache as the intersection at Bell Road and Grand Avenue in Surprise is about to undergo construction until November. Starting on Friday, Bell Road will close to traffic as ADOT constructs a new overpass.

Once completed traffic on Bell Road will go over Grand Avenue and the BNSF railroad tracks.

"There's going to be a lot of frustration," said Eric Ridenour.

About 80,000 vehicles pass through the intersection daily, but after Friday night that number will be reduced while construction goes on.

"You won't have that ground level conflict between Grand Avenue, Bell Road, and the railroad tracks, it's going to save drivers some time, and we really have to look at it not just in terms of today's traffic, but decades to come," said Doug Nintzel with ADOT.

Businesses at the intersection are concerned that the shutdown will translate into millions of dollars in losses during the construction. The City of Surprise is doing everything it can to mitigate that.

"We would lose about a million dollars in sales tax revenue," said Skip Hall.

Shutting down the intersection blocks the main entrances into the shopping areas.

"It's the smaller businesses we're really concerned about, we want to make sure they'll stay in business during this time," said Hall.

The city is investigating $50,000 in marketing, offering discounts and deals, to help keep customers shopping in the area during construction.

"In the short term there's going to be some pain," said Hall.

A pain for both businesses who face losing revenue and drivers who face longer commute times.

The whole project costs $42 million and is expected to be completed before the holiday shopping season begins.