GLOCESTER — The closure of part of the Chepachet River Bridge for repairs has had an unintended consequence, say business owners in the historic downtown: it is hurting sales.

The state Department of Transportation closed the sidewalks on the bridge in June after its supports were found to be deteriorating. Pedestrian traffic was redirected onto the bridge’s shoulder and car parking along the span was eliminated.

Local business owners have complained that the loss of on-street parking spaces in a village center that is already lacking parking is driving away the tourist traffic that many of the businesses rely on.

“Without on-street parking, we’re done for,” says Charles Wilson, whose antiques store on Putnam Pike, the Town Trader, is next to the bridge. “I don’t see us making it through the year unless something gets fixed.”

Council President Steven A. Sette sent a letter on behalf of the council to the DOT on Thursday articulating the business owner’s concerns. The council asked the DOT to consider opening one side of the shoulder to parking, leaving the other side for pedestrian traffic.

Sette said that local officials received word from DOT Acting Chief Engineer Kazem Farhoumand that the department would honor the town’s request. State DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said that the request was received by the office and will be considered by the department at a later date.

There is no timeline for when repair work is expected to commence. The sidewalk closure is meant to stabilize the structure until funds for the project can be allocated.

The DOT is also in the process of digging a 260-foot-long, 14-foot-deep detention pond in the village center, adjacent to the CVS Pharmacy at Putnam Pike and Route 102, to address erosion and storm-water runoff.

The $610,000 project, which will be completed late next month, is separate from the bridge work.

Built in 1920, the Chepachet River Bridge is a 20-foot span over the Chepachet River, which, in the village’s heyday, powered the textile mill that fueled the town’s growth.

St. Martin said the sidewalks are cantilevered structures added to the bridge when it was reconstructed in 1937. They are attached to the cross beams of the bridge by a series of concrete brackets. The walkways span 90 feet.

DOT workers spotted evidence of deterioration in the concrete brackets in June, and closed the sidewalks as a precaution, said St. Martin. The main structure of the bridge, which supports a two-lane road, is intact, says St. Martin.

The structures supporting the sidewalks will have to be rebuilt entirely. There are no estimates on the cost yet. “It’s not an easy repair,” says St. Martin.

Local business owner Wilson estimates that his antiques store has lost 30 to 40 percent of its business due to the loss of parking. “Ninety-nine percent of our business is either from tourists or out-of-towners,” he said.

Liz McIntyre, owner of the Brown and Hopkins Country Store, also located on Putnam Pike near the bridge, agreed: “It does tend to hinder business when there is no parking. If people driving by see parking spots on the road filled, they just keep on going.”

According to Wilson, the bridge provided approximately 12 parking spots along its length. Those were eliminated to provide a pedestrian right of way on either side of the bridge.

The closure also affected the town’s annual July 4 parade, the Ancients and Horribles. Paradegoers were prohibited from standing along the parade route on the bridge due to safety issues raised by the DOT.

Wilson fears that the closure will do much the same to the Glocester Heritage Day, the village’s annual outdoor bazaar scheduled this year for Sept. 28. “We’re looking at it being a total washout.”

pmarcelo@projo.com