Mr Dunne said it was hard to entice people to get a car wash amid a construction zone, let alone the crippling struggles people are having to get to his base at Delacombe Town Centre now Wiltshire Lane was blocked.

East Street Valet Hand Car Wash has experienced an 80 per cent downturn in business for what should be leading into his busiest time of the year - because Ballarat people loved getting their car washed once the sun was out and life got hectic for Christmas, he said.

Rent keeps building up, Mr Dunne has been scratching to pay the two employees he had left, and he has been forced to live in his van or stay with friends.

"We had the worst winter with COVID and now to have this happen, right when we need the business to recover," Mr Dunne said. "I can't sleep. In bed, it just whirls around in your head. This is the first time I've ever felt like this - it's so overwhelming, I feel like I'm down a well and people just keep chucking dirt in on me."

Major roadworks on the Glenelg Highway roundabout at DTC began more than a year ago.

Wiltshire Lane, south of Greenhalghs Road to DTC, closed early last week and is expected to remain blocked until the last week in November. This is for earthworks, drainage, and the eventual traffic light installation.

A Victorian transport department spokesperson said the department was in constant contact with impacted businesses to keep them informed throughout the project.

"Access to shops has been maintained since works began," the spokesperson said.

"We understand disruptions are frustrating and impact business, which is why we are working hard to complete this project as quickly as possible.

"The Keeping Ballarat Moving upgrades will improve roads across the Ballarat region - preparing them for future growth. Once works are complete, businesses will benefit from smoother traffic flow and improved safety."

Authority to operate under the Road Management Act 2004 enables the transport department to place restrictions, conditions or limitations on accessing the road to undertake road upgrades.

This comes the Sebastopol community rallies about Hertford Street traders amid ongoing works along Albert Street.

CHECK OUT OUR MAP OF MAJOR ROADWORKS HERE:

Mr Dunne said this made for major headaches in people choosing to shop at DTC.

He said this was exacerbated by rising petrol prices and increasing living costs with people travelling less and choosing to wash and detail their own cars more.

A community campaign was launched on Wednesday night encouraging people to get their car washed with East Street to help keep the business afloat - the aim is for 1000 washes within the next 10 weeks.

Mr Dunne urged people to call and book a time because, with only a couple of workers, he was concerned delays in car washing would drive people away more.

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By Thursday morning the community call-out yielded four bookings with detailing, worth $400 - a sum Mr Dunne said he had been lucky to get most weeks.

Mr Dunne said people often thought him "lucky" to survive through the pandemic and road works. He was not sure his business would last until the roadworks cleared - and he was certain other small business operators were facing similar struggles.

The state government's Keeping Ballarat Moving project has four worksites on the go at once: two in Sebastopol and two in Delacombe.

This is not to mention other constant smaller upgrades and improvements.

READ MORE: Road closures kick in before summer

The Courier team will be hitting the streets across the west in November to see how traffic has changed in the past six months - keep an eye out for our analysis.

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