Orland Park Suffers Through Extended Periods of Road Construction
Crepes, Quiche, and Corned Beef Hash Benedict used to fly out of the kitchen to the eager and willing customers dining in Mimi’s Cafe, south of 159th Street off La Grange Road in Orland Park. Servers, busboys, and managers used to dance between booths and tables assessing the delight (or damage) relative to relevant parties. At the end of the day when the doors closed, chairs went up and lights went out, waitress Carol Moore drove home to two kids and a house cat named Felix.
But the Spring of 2014 brought a change to her routine. On May 27th, Mimi’s Cafe shut its doors for good, and Carol was left without a job.
Moore, 32 years old, said the shutdown happened without much warning, but the staff could feel it coming. “On Saturday we received word from corporate that Sunday night would be our last night. We already received next week’s schedule. It was surreal, and very sad.”
A corporate spokesperson for Mimi’s Cafe said the store was closed due to disappointing sales figures, especially considering the highly-trafficked location off of La Grange Road (US Route 45).
Moore declined to talk specifically about profits or margins, but offered a hint as to why Mimi’s Cafe struggled. “When construction on La Grange Road started (in 2013), we were warned that customers might have trouble entering and exiting our parking lot, but that work on our side of the road would be brief and not have a big impact. It turned out that many people couldn’t even find the restaurant, and chose to go other places.”
Beginning in June of 2013, construction on La Grange Road involves the addition of multiple northbound and southbound lanes stretching through Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Park and Tinley Park. The project will also add a landscaped barrier median and curb and gutter on each side of US Route 45. The median will include a continuous decorative lighting system from 143rd Street to 171st Street. The Village of Orland Park is providing enhancements that include median planter boxes, parkway trees, an underground sprinkler system, a brick sidewalk, stamped colored concrete cross walks, and monuments at the corner of certain intersections.
As of the last Illinois Department of Transportation update, the project has been delayed until Spring of 2017, which is one a half years later than the initial projected date of completion. An official update stated, “Work being performed by utility companies to relocate utility facilities is taking longer than originally estimated and the severe weather this past winter have impacted the progress of the roadway work.”
But that is no consolation to commuters who remain stuck in traffic, businesses that lose revenue, and people who lose jobs.
Fed up with the lack of progress, Carl J. Sandburg High School student Austin Donabauer stated “It takes me an extra twenty minutes to get to school and to leave school. I never go out to eat with my friends if the restaurant is on La Grange. It’s not worth the trouble.”
He is not the only one. Shoppers are frustrated, businesses are struggling, and work continues to drag on. The people of Orland Park have been informed a projected completion date of Spring 2017. But the people are not holding their breathe. As the weather continues to be unpredictable and progress continues to be slow, there is no telling when another delay — or business closing — is announced.
