WHEELING — While the closure of the westbound tube of the Wheeling Tunnel has caused headaches for motorists, it has also forced local businesses to deal with different traffic patterns and fluctuating levels of customers. The westbound tube, which closed on Feb. 1, makes Interstate 70 west impassable for motorists who are traveling through the area, forcing them onto the I-470 detour. This has caused businesses along that stretch of I-70 to see a decline in customers. “Rerouting to I-470 takes away most of our traffic,” said Frank Carolla, owner of Perkins Restaurant and Bakery on National Road near the tunnel. “It isn’t helping anything, that is for sure.” Other National Road businesses have not noticed much of a difference. “We aren’t as affected as a place like Perkins because we normally don’t see that transient traffic,” said Mike Duplaga, owner of Generations Pub. Duplaga said the majority of his customers are local, and that the only out-of-town visitors he sees are due to the recommendations of local hotels. “Usually Oglebay or the Hampton Inn will send out-of-towners here, and they give them the directions, so in that regard the detour hasn’t hurt us,” he said. The detour has also caused officials at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack to rethink their marketing strategies, which include prompting drivers to follow the orange barrels and signs placed beneath detour signage from the West Virginia Department of Transportation.