El Cajon

El Cajon construction site causing dangerous confusion for drivers, loss of business, locals say

Local businesses are speaking out about slow customer traffic and dangerous roads stemming from the construction site

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NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada spoke to store managers about issues they say are caused by construction.

“Normally, before all the construction, it was a wide-open street. Very good, nothing really happening, not that much traffic, a lot of parking,” Jemi Kandelyn, manager of Leo’s Market in El Cajon said.

El Cajon Boulevard has always been a frequently travelled road.

Some drivers would zoom by, causing accidents captured by surveillance video from the owner of Leo’s Market.

In February, the City of El Cajon began building a roundabout to improve the flow of traffic and reduce the number of accidents.

Instead, business owner said, the road remains unsafe and the construction is hammering their business.

“I’m appalled at what the city did. I can’t comprehend it. I just know that it’s killing my business,” said Marla Cunningham, owner of the nearby California Registration Services.

Business owners said road signs are confusing and drivers are not clear about where to go, which leads some customers to avoid the area and other drivers into trouble.

“You’ve got people coming in at 45 mph and then the car that’s turning left doesn’t see them and hits the car. If it’s not that then you’ve got people going the wrong way to try and take the exit,” Kandelyn said.

“I’ve seen more accidents during this construction than I have previously,” Cunningham said.

The city said construction of the streetscape could take anywhere from 8-12 months, but for the businesses that are hurting, that day can’t come soon enough.

“At the moment, I just want them to finish,” Kandelyn said.

NBC 7 reached out to the City of El Cajon to ask when they anticipate construction to end and but the city did not respond before publication time.

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