Merchants cheer roadwork delay

Retailers on the west side of Elko are breathing a sigh of relief that they won't face traffic hassles this year.

Road construction slated this summer for the Mountain City Highway and Idaho Street was postponed until 2013.

Q&D Construction last year undertook a city contract and revamped a large swath of Elko's main throughfare that impacted many businesses along Idaho Street. The downtown area took an especially large hit.

"This is excellent news for the business climate in Elko,"says Jennifer Sprout, executive director of the Elko Area Chamber of Commerce.

"They just built all the new business sector (along Mountain City Highway), and they are just opening up. The postponement is huge for my business area," Sprout says.