When Ford Motor Co.’s Norfolk Assembly Plant dropped its evening shift last year, the economic ripple jostled a stretch of businesses on Indian River Road. After the plant ceases production today, the waves will get rougher – though several owners say they will remain unaffected. No one predicted he or she would have to shut down.

The plant sits on a 3-mile stretch of Indian River Road that cuts through three cities – Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. It features a couple of residential patches and a few industrial sections, but mostly a string of commercial outlets – including thrift and drug stores, fast food restaurants and gas stations.

[Read](http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=127465&ran=59130&tref=de “Read the Story”) (The Virginian-Pilot)