JACKSON, MI — Construction on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is putting pressure on a local business owner.

Traffic disruption and confusion about parking lot access have kept customers away at C-Store Deli and Wash Tub Laundry on MLK Jr. Drive.

Isabella “Marie” Fletcher, owner of both businesses since 2002, tried to keep the buffet-style eatery open, but with customer traffic down, it became a waste to prepare food, she said. The restaurant has been closed since June, and the laundromat has been making a quarter of its usual revenue.

“We don’t want to continue to spend money, and not make the money back,” Chef Demetrice King said.

Since May, the city of Jackson has been undergoing a $7.5 million “Martin Luther King Reimagined,” project for major infrastructural improvements on MLK Jr.

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