Freeway ramp closures will hit Atwater business revenue, city sales tax

At least four businesses remained closed Wednesday on Bell Lane in Atwater after a gas tanker overturned and burst into flames Tuesday, killing the driver and scorching nearby businesses.

The tanker overturned about 10 a.m. Tuesday while exiting Highway 99 on the Applegate Road offramp. The truck burst into flames, sending a massive billowing smoke cloud into the air. Multiple explosions were heard as customers and employees in nearby fast food restaurants evacuated the area.

McDonald’s, Panda Express, Togo’s Sandwiches and 7-Eleven all were closed on Wednesday. Bell Lane was barricaded at the Applegate Square shopping center.

Across the street, the AM-PM mini-mart and Arco gas stationed was open. Tractor Supply, Carl’s Jr. and O’Reilly Auto Parts all were open and accessible from an entrance behind Tractor Supply. Envy Fine Clothing and the dry-cleaning business were open, and Starbucks reopened Wednesday afternoon.

For Kamal Dhaliwal, the owner of the AM-PM and Arco, “a lot of things changed yesterday.”

The mini-mart was scheduled to receive and install a new register system on Tuesday. Technicians were working on four gas pumps at the time of the crash.

“I went outside and could feel the heat. I thought my skin was burning,” Dhaliwal said. “I ran inside and told all the girls to get out. I shut off the gas and ran outside.”

The gas station became an emergency command center where Dhaliwal estimated 50 emergency vehicles gathered. Her store was closed until 4 p.m., and she estimates she lost about 50 percent of her sales. Another gas tanker delivered gas about 7 p.m.

“I am a freeway one-stop shop. This is going to affect everybody,” she said, referring to the nearby businesses. “In 23 years of business at other gas stations, I’ve never seen anything like this – ever. It was like when you watch Sci-Fi movies. The black cloud looked like a mushroom cloud.”

Despite the ugly scene, Dhaliwal is thankful her business wasn’t damaged and her employees were unharmed.

“It was like there was an umbrella over this place. I’m feeling very blessed,” she said. “Human life is so precious that even one life is too many to lose. But it definitely could’ve been worse. What if the truck ran into McDonald’s or Panda Express during lunch?”

Envy Fine Clothing closed after the incident on Tuesday but was open and full of customers on Wednesday. The store does business online and over the phones, so the closure on Tuesday didn’t hurt the business too much, said Stephanie Gonzales, a store manager.

“We hope they will rebuild the road,” she said. “Starbucks is a big part of our growth. We just hope they’ll rebuild right away.”

Mayor Jim Price said the southbound Applegate exit and onramp will be closed “indefinitely,” because crews must do “a lot of work” to assess the roadway and the dirt under it, as well as repair or replace stoplights and other fixtures.

Corporate officials for the closed stores are expected to visit those locations in the next few days, he said. Though electricity has been restored, he noted, most of them sustained smoke damage.

Some may reopen by the end of the week, city officials said.

The city is looking at an agreement with the owners of the dirt lot north of AM-PM to allow traffic to pass through on the way to the shopping center with Starbucks and Carl’s Jr.

Safety in the area is the main concern, Price said, but the city also wants to avoid — as much as possible — a dip in tax revenue.

“We’re concerned,” he said. “We want to be able to have people come off the freeway and spend those out-of-town dollars ... When it will be open is anyone’s guess.”

Businesses in the are are expected to take hits in revenue since freeway traffic will be limited. Scott McBride, interim city manager, said those effects likely will rollover to city revenue.

“There’s no doubt about it, there will be an impact,” he said.

AM-PM is the third highest sales tax generator for the city, he said. McDonald’s, which has two locations in Atwater, is the fifth highest. City officials expect the one on Bell Lane near the freeway is the busier of the two locations.

“The interchange is a priority for us,” he said. “It’s got to be done quickly, but it’s got to be done right and professionally.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Freeway ramp closures will hit Atwater business revenue, city sales tax."