Whether it's newspapers or television stations, blogs or radio programs, media always have one strong news story to fall back on this time of year: the effects of road construction on business. Regardless of which paper or what station, most have done it, and most will do it again.

For the Journal of Business, this summer is different in that we're experiencing the story. The Journal's office is located at the northwest corner of Third Avenue and Sherman Street, essentially the midpoint in the section of Third that's being rebuilt.

Alongside the sidewalk outside of my window, chunks of rock and concrete are piled waist high, the end product of repeated pounding, hammering, digging, and lifting by all kinds of heavy machinery. Sometimes, the work makes the floor vibrate. When crews aren't working, common ambient noises are more apparent than they once were.

The project involves repaving the three-lane, eastbound one-way street and putting in new sidewalks after placing a new water main. The three-fourths of a mile stretch of Third that's being improved is between Division and Arthur streets and is expected to be completed in August.

One reason the roadwork stories are relatively common is that the effects are profound. The Journal's revenue doesn't rise and fall with traffic counts, but members of our team keep a worrisome eye on the largely empty parking lot of the Alpine Deli, our neighbors to the west. The little European grocery store has a loyal following, but even so, it isn't nearly as busy as usual. We're supporting it best we can.

Of course, businesses along Third Avenue are far from alone. Retailers along two different legs of Francis Avenue are facing or recently have endured the same sort of disruption, as the Spokesman-Review has reported, and businesses on the north side of Monroe Street Bridge muddled through a two-week closure of the iconic structure, as every TV station covered extensively. A stretch of Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley is coned off, and scores of other projects are under way.

For me personally, there have been days where it felt like you couldn't get here from there. I live in the southern part of Spokane Valley, and one day last week, there was utility work on 32nd Avenue, coned-off lanes on Sprague, LED light installation on Interstate 90, and, of course, the work on Third. It literally took twice as long to get to work as it normally does.

Here, though, we don't have a lot to complain about. Our back parking lot isn't easy to get into, but it's been accessible for all but a few hours. Construction workers have come in twice and told us to be prepared to lose water, but we never did. The equipment is loud and dusty and smelly, but it's interesting to watch during breaks in the action. Overall, the whole thing could be worse.

What's important to remember is that while being in a construction zone hasn't been so bad, driving on Third Avenue in recent years couldn't get much worse. It was rutted deeply by years of studded snow tires and heavy traffic, and it had a true gravel road-like washboard quality to it in spots. Come this fall, when it's all finished, it's going to be a welcome change of pace.

Good roads are good for business community as a whole and the individual businesses along each thoroughfare. As the excavators, backhoes, and front loaders beep relentlessly while driving in reverse and the backed-up traffic honks in frustration, we'll endeavor to keep that in mind.