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Businesses prepared to take a hit when Centennial Bridge closes

With the Centennial Bridge closing for 35-days straight, businesses in the area worry they will suffer.

Businesses on both sides of the river may see some changes while the Centennial Bridge is closed down.

The bridge will be under construction and completely closed off from July 28 through August 31.

Mama Compton's, a popular restaurant in downtown Rock Island, is preparing to see their business go down while the bridge is under construction.

"We're going to take a hit for it," said Charles Knutsen, a Mama Compton's employee." People are going to go, 'oh I don't want to deal with that so I'm not going to cross the river.'"

Down the street, Royal Neighbors of America employs over 100 people, many of which live across the river.

"It's about a third of our employees that will be affected by the Centennial Bridge [closing]," said Mary Staver, an employee of Royal Neighbors of America.  "I'm actually one of those employees [affected], so I myself am contemplating how I'm going to change my route to work."

The bridge will still be open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic during the construction, but drivers will have to either take I-280 or I-74 to get across the river.

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