Most, but not all, of the businesses contacted at the Oak Creek Factory Outlets, in the Village of Oak Creek, have had decreases in traffic as well as a lower bottom line, due to construction on the Hwy. 179 Improvement Project.

Most, but not all, of the businesses contacted at the Oak Creek Factory Outlets, in the Village of Oak Creek, have had decreases in traffic as well as a lower bottom line, due to construction on the Hwy. 179 Improvement Project.

Some, like Terry Wolfe at the Dragonfly Gift Boutique, are seeing much lower tourist business, but her local customers have taken up the slack.

“Most business here are 30, 40 percent down,” said Wayne Gosser, owner of the Kitchen Konnection.

“The corporate stores can absorb it, but for us independently owned stores, it is hard,” he said.

A recent visit found the small, blue “Business Access” sign next to a closed driveway leading into the outlet mall.

“We were promised that both driveways would not be closed, but they are,” Gosser said.

According to some employees at the mall, this is the route some pedestrians have to use to get to the bank and other shops across Hwy. 179.

“The equipment and piles of dirt hide the mall. We are hard to see from the highway and the small blue signs do not seem like enough,” Factory Brand Shoes manager Angelique Martin said.

Martin said that customers have told her, “If we knew what is was like, we would not have come to Sedona.”

She said delays are as much as 30 minutes as tourists drive down Hwy. 179 from I-17 to Sedona.

Iva Wood and Heather Turner, at the Dressbarn, said they are worried about the danger of two-way traffic and pedestrians sharing the same space.

“I think about 10 percent of the decrease is due to gas prices,” Gosser said.