SUGARCREEK, Ohio — The Village of Sugarcreek is rejoicing with the reopening of State Road 39.
The road reopened just before Labor Day after the Ohio Department of Transportation closed a portion of the road for excavation work.
Its reopening is something area businesses have been looking forward to as the project's detour led drivers around Sugarcreek. That detour resulted in lower tourism numbers.
When News5 visited the village in August, the Sugarcreek Business Association reported a 25 to 30% decrease in the amount of visitors compared to last year.
RELATED: Sugarcreek businesses seeing less visitors during roadwork on State Road 39
"It was kind of strange," Roy Weaver, owner of Weaver's Furniture, said. "Like an eclipse of sales."
Weaver's Furniture is located right along State Road 39. Weaver said many of his customers come from right off the road.
Weaver and his fellow small business owners did what they could during the seven-week construction project. The biggest effort was placing signs near the detour and other routes to remind people that Sugarcreek was still open for business. Weaver said those signs helped, but nothing compared to when the Department of Transportation opened the road right before Labor Day.
"It was just like the gates opened up and we were just able to bring people back in," he said.
Weaver isn't the only one noticing a difference. According to the Alpine Hills Museum, there was a 145% increase in foot traffic compared to 2023, the week after the road opened.
Bev Keller with the Sugarcreek Business Association said that amounts to about 355 people a day, a large number for the village. She said it's the easy access that's making the difference.
"We don't have to send you over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house," she said. "We're just coming straight down state road 39."
There's also an improved sense of safety in the area. The closed portion of State Road 39 was considered deadly by locals. The department did excavation work to lower a blind hill, making Sugarcreek's summer tourism struggles worth it.
"I do feel it is safer," said Keller. "That's really the bottom line. Families in our community lose loved ones because of that intersection. It's totally worth what we've been through."
Now, the village is moving past its summer tourism slump and looking ahead by making plans for the annual Swiss Fest.
The lessons from the closure will be sticking with the village for some time. Both Keller and Weaver said the closure showed how resilient the tiny tourist spot is while also teaching a lesson in communication for the community.
"Communication is a lot more than what is on paper or a post on Facebook," Keller said. "It's about making sure everyone is on the same page and understands the ramifications. We want to drive home that this road is open."
