Cleveland business owners adjusting to Innerbelt Bridge project gear up for round two

CLEVELAND - Business owners in the Tremont area have been adjusting to the inconveniences they're enduring around the Innerbelt Bridge construction.

Owner of Gateway Animal Clinic Dr. Brian Forsgren has taken care of most of the pets in the area over the years. But he said Innerbelt construction hasn't made that easy.

"Well, the major effect was two and a half years ago when we had to build a new clinic," he said.

The street to his clinic was completely blocked off for construction. Forsgren said that made it almost impossible for clients to get to the clinic, so they had to move in order to survive.

"We took a 5,000 square feet facility, got some money from ODOT folks and built this 8,000 square feet facility," he said.

Two years later, however, Forsgren said they still have to work out the kinks left by Innerbelt construction.

"It's caused some inconvenience for the clients getting here. It was closed temporarily and then it was moved to one way and now it's moved the other way," he said.

"I think that since my business is only about 5 years old that I haven't seen the past business so I’m looking to seeing what will come into the neighborhood when it does get fixed," said owner of Churned Ice Cream & A Cookie and A Cupcake Syndee Bergen said. She knows a safer bridge is a necessity, so she's taking it all in stride.

"I'm sure the other neighborhood businesses that have been here about 20 years are looking forward to it coming back to where it was," said Bergen.

Forsgren said they've survived the Innerbelt roadwork and look forward to its completion in the years to come.

"Fortunately, people are so enamored and focused on their animals that it hasn't really negatively impacted our actual business or the flow of clients," he said.