ORLANDO, Fla. — Businesses are trying to figure out a Plan B to get through a busy weekend now that unstable scaffolding has closed off one of the busiest areas of downtown Orlando.
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The scaffolding has caused half a dozen businesses to temporarily close for the next week.
The road closures are on Orange Avenue from Jackson and Pine streets, as well as Garland to Court Avenue.
Some of the area has reopened for foot traffic, but the intersection of Orange Avenue and Church Street is still closed to pedestrians.
To facilitate access to businesses, the @citybeautiful has deemed certain areas accessible and safe for pedestrian access. The amended pedestrian closures are shown on the map below.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) August 11, 2023
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READ: Orange Avenue closed, building evacuated due to unstable scaffolding in downtown Orlando
Balfour Beatty, the general contracting company in charge of the project, said Tuesday it stopped operations because the scaffolding became unstable when the structure began to pull away from the building and leaning toward Orange Avenue.
For bartenders like Gabby Lopez, smaller crowds means less in their pockets.
“We’re lucky we have the Dolphins game tonight, but if that wasn’t the case I don’t think we’d have a lot of people because when you park and you see that, you automatically don’t want to come downtown,” she said.
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The closures aren’t stopping Sak Comedy Club on Pine Street from putting on their shows. Executive Director Chris Dinger said he’s been fielding questions all day.
“There’s not much you can do about the current road closures; people just have to give themselves a little extra time to navigate around,” Dinger said.
The contracting company said it’s waiting for a crew fom outside the city to arrive and take the scaffolding apart. That could start on Sunday.
READ: Unstable scaffolding keeps section of Orange Avenue closed in Downtown Orlando
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