Nine months is a long time. It’s almost enough time to grow a whole human. It’s 180 early-morning wake-ups and late dinners. And it’s a really long time to be cut off from the lifeblood of your business during the busiest time of year.

MDOT’s nine-month, $24.7-million project consists of two main phases with construction continuing through November — minus a week break from June 29 to July 6 during the National Cherry Festival.

We gripe about the traffic backups and increased travel times, but for us commuters, it’s a temporary inconvenience that ultimately results in better days ahead.

But businesses along the construction corridor, especially on the north side, are in for a long spring, summer and fall.

Nawbin Trading Co. — at ground zero with four lanes of traffic closed through May — set up a livestream traffic camera and is keeping customers updated on how to access “Traverse City’s Forbidden Zone.”

“At this point, I have no plans to ‘retire,’ ‘focus on a new direction,’ or even ‘step away from the business,'” posted owner Karl of the jewelry and curiosity shop. “I will do whatever I can, to not only survive and come out on the other side of this obstruction to my family’s livelihood gracefully, but to grow my business in the meantime to be better than ever.”

Blue Goat Wine and Provisions is “getting a new road for its 50th anniversary,” according to social media.

The positivity is admirable. We hope the 30 to 40 people on the daily construction crew and the 15 to 20 working at night will patronize these businesses. And, while it may take some maneuvering, commuters should make the effort to stop in or shop online, if possible.

Anyone who travels the moon-cratered road knows well the joy of the jaw-cracking pothole or avoids the shredded outside lanes entirely — especially in a rain. We may have adjusted to the terrible condition of our primary east-west travel corridor, but it has needed work for a long, long time.

We commuters will figure out ways to spread out around the inconvenience, but we should support the businesses in the thick of it. In nine months, we want to emerge better than before — let’s make sure we all get there.