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Roadwork may be an issue for Bills home opener

Posted at 9:24 PM, Sep 09, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-09 21:24:22-04

Neighbors living on Lake Avenue in Orchard Park say they're living a nightmare.

"There's dust all over, we wake up at 5 a.m. to the sound of construction," said Michelle Dipirro.

A construction project has been going on all summer. Erie County crews are tearing up the road because of its aging infrastructure.

The three mile stretch of road between Abbott and Southwestern is a major cut-through for people living and driving in Orchard Park. The $3.5 million project started July 1 and was expected to be done by the end of August, but the timetable was pushed back.

"We had some trouble with utility lines, and locating those," said Erie County Legislature Chairman John Mills. "The project should be done by the end of September."

People living here say the biggest problem is the dust, which is kicked up each time someone drives down the road. The road is closed to all traffic other than local, but neighbors say after the construction crews are gone for the day, people fly down the street.

"The dust is real bad," said Dipirro. "You can't keep up with keeping your house clean. You can't keep up with your lawn."

"Everyone's house is filling up with dust," said Mike Smith, who also lives on Lake Ave.

With the Buffalo Bills home opener less than a mile away on Sunday, people living in the area are worried about traffic.

"I think it's going to be a big problem for the game," said Dipirro. "I went to see the Rolling Stones and I had a delay with that then in July. This is definitely going to be a problem for people in Orchard Park. People going to the game should give themselves an extra hour or two."

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