Construction along Route 23 and Bethany Road is not only causing longer commute times but also impacting area businesses.

Randy Pollner, owner of The UPS Store, 3230 Sycamore Road, said construction has affected his business, but not as badly as others because The UPS Store is one of a few shipping stores in the area so people will drive to it.

“I’m the only game in town so people will find a way to get to me,” he said.

Pollner’s revenues have increased 25 percent monthly over the last year. But September has brought a smaller, 10-percent increase, which Pollner feels may be due to the construction.

The construction on Bethany Road is taking longer than it should, he said. Bethany Road, west of Route 23, is a mess.

A few weeks ago The UPS Store lost its telephone connection from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. because phone lines were knocked down due to construction.

Sycamore City Engineer John Brady said the city could not do anything about the phone lines because it was up to Verizon to fix it.

Construction on Bethany from Route 23 to Peace Road stopped a little more than a week ago, Pollner said. Work on Route 23 has gone quicker than work on Bethany Road.

Some businesses affected understand the necessity of the construction projects, such as Linda Kozak, owner of Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake, 2587 Sycamore Road.

Her business was affected negatively by the construction, but Kozak understands construction must happen.

Any time road construction takes place businesses suffer, she said. Benefits will be reaped once construction ends because the roads will be better.

“This is pretty much it for shopping; it’s tough, but you just have to deal with it,” Kozak said.

Sal Biundo, owner of Imagine Salon, 3236 Sycamore Road, said his business has not decreased due to the construction.

“It’s a totally different kind of business,” he said.

The salon has a regular clientele, so people set up appointments.

Construction on Route 23 is expected to finish by the end of October, said Mike Bauling , project implementation engineer for DeKalb.

Bethany Road construction should be done by Oct. 31.

Brady said he expects the construction to be on schedule unless there are some weather-related issues.

“A lot of things need to fall into place in the next three weeks,” Brady said.

Contractors will be fined if the construction job is not finished on time.