Report Problem
Translate
At Louisville Water, we embrace local flavor. While we encourage everyone to Drink Like a Local, we’re also big advocates for eating and shopping like a local. As we navigate through a big construction project along River Road in the east end, we’re working to support restaurants, businesses, and parks in that area the best way we can.
“We’re committed to maintaining access to these popular places, but recognize it takes some planning with a possible detour for customers,” said Kelley Dearing Smith, Louisville Water Vice President of Communications & Marketing. “It’s a balancing act to maintain the infrastructure that provides nearly a million people with safe drinking water and meeting the needs of the restaurants, businesses, homeowners, and commuters that rely on River Road.”
Communication is key and Louisville Water has used all the channels to spread the word that businesses are OPEN during construction – signage, LouisvilleWater.com, email newsletters, local media, and our own social media platforms.
Many of the businesses have leveraged the power of their social media to power through the detours. Locust Grove let visitors know before the construction started that they are open and welcome people to come visit. Down the road at Different Strokes Golf Center, co-owner Mallory Burckle and her team teed up a strong plan.
“We’re not afraid to overcommunicate. We’ve made it a priority to educate every customer who comes in about the project and to actively spread the word that we’re open and fully operational. In addition to our social media efforts, we’ve also utilized email marketing, our website, and Facebook to keep everyone informed,” Burckle explained.
She got creative with mapping it out for customers on Instagram, using the platform’s chromakey or “green screen” feature.
“I used screenshots from Google Maps and Apple Maps to highlight the best routes and ensure the visuals were as clear and straightforward as possible,” Burckle said. “As the River Road project continues and the detours evolve, we’ll keep using these visual updates to help customers stay informed and find the easiest ways to reach us.”
Louisville Water Digital Media Specialist Lauren Horton understands the urgency to keep everyone in the loop.
“With a large-scale project like this one, posting essential details about traffic detours and ways to access local businesses is critical to our overall customer satisfaction,” Horton said.
And restaurants like River House, Kingfish, and Haymarket located in the first zone of construction, are serving up detour information in their social media posts.(River House Facebook 3-20)
“The signage has been very confusing for our guests, so we’ve made it a priority to provide detailed driving directions,” shared Tricia Fox of RedTag Digital who handles social media for River House Restaurant. Fox said, “Whenever there’s a change, we send out email updates and post on social media to keep everyone informed. Many of our guests are from out of town or unfamiliar with the River Road area, so clear communication is critical.”
Burckle said, “We understand that road bumps like the River Road project are part of running a business, but we’re focused on finding ways to adapt and thrive through them. Thankfully, the weather is warming up, and we’re optimistic that people will continue to make their way down to the range!”
We encourage everyone to keep supporting their favorite businesses or for some, this could be the perfect opportunity to try a place for the first time.
Louisville Water understands two years of rolling road closures is not ideal. We are working with our contractor to expedite the timeline if we can do so safely and efficiently.
You can find regular updates on LouisvilleWater.com/ResidualLineProject and on our social media channels, in addition to signing up for weekly emails.
