Old Sacramento merchants worried about I-5 closure

Come Friday, roads will still lead to Karen Abston's T-shirt shop in Old Sacramento, but motorists will have a difficult time accessing them from Interstate 5.

That busy artery will be partially closed to allow construction crews to rip up a crumbling, leaky span and replace it. The timing and duration of the work have Abston and many other merchants in Old Sac worried.

The Big Fix, as the work has come to be known, will limit access to the freeway until July 15.

The project occurs as consumers are cutting back on spending because of a faltering economy and soaring energy and food prices. Even worse, Abston said, it's "cash time" for retailers in Old Town.

During the summer months, June through August, tourists spill out from buses and cars onto Front Street for a look at the 19th-century buildings, the statue that commemorates the first Pony Express ride or the California State Railroad Museum. Last year, Old Sacramento's taxable sales in the spring and summer months totaled $112 million, city revenue officials said.

Abston, who is planning her own commute, isn't so certain that tourists and customers will make the effort to get to her.

"The timing really stinks," Abston said. "I'm not going to know until it happens, but if I'm having to find alternate routes to get here, my customers are going to be lost."

At Jon's Front Street Tobacconist, owner Jonathan Hersha was equally pessimistic: "That's two months where it's going to be a real bear getting in and out. With the price of gasoline, it's not a good combination."

"Most of us rely on the summer months to carry us through the year," he said "I'm not fatalistic. I know it has to be done, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Retailers can find reason for hope and for despair among recent visitors to Old Sac. Rancho Cordova resident Naomi Gilbert, who was giving her father and stepmother a tour, confirmed their worst fears.

"We're going to the airport the day before (I-5) closes," said Gilbert, whose guests will be departing for Shreveport, La. "And I plan not to go anywhere downtown if I don't have to."

But determined out-of-towners Michele and Joe O'Neil of San Jose tried Amtrak's Capital Corridor train for a visit Tuesday and say they've found the perfect way to visit Old Sacramento and avoid the Big Fix.

The O'Neils had Daisy Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts from Pack 229 in tow for a day trip to Old Sacramento and the Capitol.

"It was really neat. We've never done it before. It is a very good deal, and it was fun for the kids, too," Michele O'Neil said.

The I-5 fix isn't the first traffic frustration in the past 12 months for Old Sacramento merchants. They've endured major construction on the Tower Bridge and renovations at the nearby Crocker Art Museum.

"A lot of smaller merchants are concerned. They don't have huge budgets for advertising. They're trying to do things inside their stores. People are trying to be creative," said Lisa Martinez, director of marketing and outreach at the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, which includes the Old Sacramento Business Association.

Officials at the partnership have launched a six-week campaign in coordination with the city, the California Department of Transportation and Regional Transit, educating merchants on alternate routes into the district and how to draw customers during the construction.

On the Fix I-5 Project Web site, www.fixI-5.com, Old Sacramento merchants, clubs, restaurants and museums have joined the city's "Sacramento Is Open for Business" promotion. The merchants create specials and promotions to encourage people to head to Old Town. The message: Plan your route. Come to Old Sacramento. Stay a while.

"There's a concern that there's so much publicity about the negative aspects," Martinez said. "They could be sitting in their car or sitting at a happy hour enjoying an appetizer and enjoying Old Sacramento."

At the California State Railroad Museum, one of Old Sacramento's most popular attractions, education starts at home. Museum director Paul Hammond is posting route information on Web sites and internal newsletters to 70 employees and 500 volunteers, plus reminding visitors of the impending project.

"We still find people who don't know. Our work here isn't done," Hammond said, noting the project starts Friday. "There's no way you can reach everybody through the popular channels, but you reach who you can reach."

Mike Kerr, general manager of Joe's Crab Shack on Front Street, has faced construction roadblocks before. Hard against the Sacramento River and a short distance from the Tower Bridge, his business remained strong when the span was shut down for repair last year.

Kerr said the key will be to educate guests, and he's training his staff to help diners navigate their way to Old Town.

"It's a big deal, but like when the Tower Bridge was closed, people find a way. They're going to go" to Old Sacramento, he said.

He's counting on something else, too. As gas prices continue to rise, fewer area baseball fans are making the drive to Oakland or San Francisco, he said, heading instead to Raley Field to watch the minor league Sacramento River Cats.

"More people are going to Cats' games, and where are they going to eat? Old Sacramento."

Dean Huitrado of River City Hot Dogs agreed that people will want to stay closer to home: "A lot of people aren't going to be traveling as much, so I think downtown is going to be busier, especially if they funnel (traffic) right."

"To me, it's a blessing," he continued. "I can see loads of people pouring into Old Sac. People drive by, but they never see it. This could put Old Sac on the map."

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• Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040.