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'We're expecting it to be totally insane': Businesses brace for X Games in Boise

Businesses and drivers will have to handle road closures due to the X Games taking over Rhodes Skate Park this week.

BOISE, Idaho — Businesses in downtown Boise are gearing up for a long week ahead with the Road to the X Games: Park Qualifier coming to town again and taking over Rhodes Skate Park.

Surrounding stores and shops are excited about the games because it brings around 10,000 to 20,000 people to the area, which will bring in more business.

"I'm a little nervous,” Brennan Conroy, the owner of Americana Pizza, said. 

The pizza shop, located across the Rhodes Skate Park, opened up at the beginning of the year, so Conroy is getting ready for his first X-Games.

"We're going to load up on slices and do our best,” he said. "We're expecting it to be totally insane and we're making dough right now for the whole weekend so we will have a huge fridge full of dough and lots of pizza."

MORE: X Games Qualifier in Boise will feature top skateboarders and BMX athletes

While Americana Pizza is preparing for their first, Stephanie Searle at A Tavola, a gourmet café and marketplace on Grove Street, is getting ready for her third X Games.

"It's been very good for us, we get people from all over the world,” she said. “We have a team from Australia who has been here for a couple weeks practicing so they've come in. It really picks up our breakfast business and lunch business.”

Both businesses are within walking distance of the skate park so they’re preparing for more foot traffic, but those businesses will also have to deal with road closures that start on Tuesday evening and last until Saturday. 

RELATED: X Games will return to Boise in 2019

15th and 16th streets will be closed from River to Grove. Front Street will be closed from 14th to 16th street and Grand Avenue will be closed at 15th Street.

At the end of the week, some lanes will be closed on the Connector directly over the skate park. The far-left westbound lane will be closed and the far-right eastbound lane will both be closed. 

"So people can't pull over and look over the side of the couplet and watch the games from there,” Sgt. Nick Duggan with Boise police said.

The road closures on the city streets will be for through traffic up until Friday. Starting then, it’ll become complete lane closures on surface streets and the two lanes and shoulders of the Connector will be closed.

"The road closure is a bummer,” Conroy said. “We were even considering not doing takeout and pick up on those days because it might be so crazy but the city worked with us.”

Searle said the closures haven’t been an impact to her business though in previous years.

"We haven't really noticed, the city has been wonderful working with us to make sure the traffic is diverted in the right way,” she said.

The event will be streamed live on the X Games Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

KTVB.COM has all you need to know about the X Games on our summer event guide.

MORE: Road to X Games: Boise Park Qualifier

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