Ongoing construction in downtown Brownsville is causing temporary closures in the area. Business owners said the closures are cause for concern.

“It's affecting our sales, it's affecting everybody's sales,” Aras Pizzeria owner Frank Gomez said. “But I think in the long run it's gonna be helpful."

Gomez said he’s seen a 60% drop in sales in the last two months, which is around the time Brownsville started working on restoring the historic Samano Building.

RELATED STORY: Renovations at Brownsville's historic Samano Building nearly complete

“All the new construction and the new restaurants here in the downtown area, I love them. They’re good but sometimes [there’s] traffic or [it’s] poor to park,” Brownsville resident Romualdo Ortiz said.

Brownsville city leaders said businesses owners have brought up the parking concerns being caused by three major projects currently underway.

They include the renovations to the Samano Building and the historic El Jardin Hotel, and a wastewater project that involves tearing up roads and replacing pipes.

"Sometimes, we have to close roads down for multiple weeks at a time, and it can be an inconvenience,” Brownsville Assistant City Manager Doroteo Garcia Jr. said. “So we want to at least keep the sidewalks open as a way for the businesses to remain open and for our citizens to be able to go visit them."

Garcia said the city put signs up across downtown Brownsville that say stores are open to help business owners. Garcia said the city is also working to keep businesses informed on when road closures are set to happen, and encourages any business with concerns to give them a call.

Gomez said he's seen the benefits from the wastewater project at his restaurant, and he just wants everyone to know downtown is still open for business.

“We are still open we are still operating, please come out,” Gomez said. “There [are rerouted roads] that you would have to take, but we're open, we're ready to serve you. Don’t let that obstruct you getting to wherever you need to in downtown."

The wastewater project is expected to wrap up on May 2026. The upgrades to the historic buildings are scheduled to be finished by October 2025.

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