RICHMOND HEIGHTS — Highway 40 provided a vital pipeline to Bud Starr's wine shop and bistro.

Since January 2008, he has seen how vital it truly was. Not long after the Missouri Department of Transportation closed the first stretch of Highway 40 (Interstate 64) west of here, business started to slow down at Starrs on Big Bend Boulevard.

"The last two years have been very, very tough on anyone who was probably east of Lindbergh (Boulevard)," said Starr, who has been at the same Big Bend location for 19 years. "It's been a very tough period."

With Highway 40 set to reopen on Dec. 7, merchants and communities surrounding the massive rebuilding project hope things return to business as usual — and soon. But with the nation feeling the effects of the Great Recession, that may be a lot to ask.

Richmond Heights Mayor Jim Beck said sales tax collections dropped more than 10 percent after the first stretch of Highway 40 closed.

A study commissioned by the Missouri Department of Transportation showed taxable sales dropped more than 12 percent throughout the Highway 40 corridor in January through March, compared with the first quarter of 2007 — the year before the shutdown.

Taxable sales outside the corridor tumbled 7.4 percent in that period, a reflection of the recession.

Still, when Beck talks to Richmond Heights business owners, "not a single one felt like they were unaffected" by the decision to close two 5-mile sections of Highway 40 over the past two years. Starr says his business is off 30 percent.

State transportation officials, however, offer a different point of view. They say the highway closure hasn't had nearly the negative impact on the local economy as the recession and other factors, such as high gasoline prices.

"What we have heard is that they are struggling because of the economy and other reasons, in general, and not specifically because of the highway being closed," said MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Wilson.

At $524 million, the Highway 40 reconstruction is the state's largest highway project. Twenty-nine bridges and interchanges, as well as 10 miles of highway, were rebuilt in two years.

Even though the highway is opening three weeks early, Starr said he was disappointed it wouldn't be even sooner because Thanksgiving historically raises the curtain on holiday shopping. "I think that things are going to gradually, hopefully, go back to normal. I don't think it is going to be night and day."

Bill Davis, a sales manager at nearby Hi-Fi-Fo-Fum Inc., said that the store, which specializes in audio and video systems, was celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. But, he said, management is reluctant to advertise or commemorate the milestone because "how would you tell them how to get here?"

Business dropped off about 25 percent from normal levels after the first section of highway closed, and things got worse when the Big Bend overpass closed. It's expected to reopen the middle of this month.

The company hasn't had to lay off employees, but it has had to cut back some employee hours.

"Keep in mind, the double whammy in all this is not only the construction, the bridge, but the economy," Davis said. "We're a luxury business." If people have to decide between helping a friend who got laid off or buying a new TV, he said, "they're going to help the friend or the family."

The highway closure forced some businesses to more actively market themselves and to stay in touch with their patrons, said Rachelle L'Ecuyer, community development director in Maplewood. Some used social networking sites such as Facebook, as well as Twitter, she said.

"I see a lot of our businesses being heavily connected to their customer base," L'Ecuyer said.

June Fowler, a spokeswoman for BJC Healthcare, agreed, noting that BJC hospitals kept patients informed about traffic and alternative routes to help them get to appointments. Employees, meanwhile, were encouraged to avoid Kingshighway when traveling to Barnes-Jewish and Children's hospitals.

Aaron Telle of Telle Tire & Auto Service on South Big Bend said he was warned to expect the worst — potentially a 25 percent drop in business — during the second closure, between Interstate 170 and Kingshighway. But the losses never materialized.

Telle suspects a change in strategy may have led to better results. To help customers living north of Highway 40, during the closure of the Big Bend bridge Telle Tire staff offered to pick up the vehicle, repair it and then return it. In January, Telle opened on Saturdays for the first time. The store also stepped up radio advertising and promotions. Overall, Telle believes his customers were willing to tolerate some traffic hassles for an occasional tire replacement or car repair.

"It's not like going to the grocery store where it's a constant hassle for them," he said.

But some business owners hope the new road will help repair their bottom lines.