By Rachel Rowe
Nearly two months of messy construction along a stretch of Bank Street has caused business to plummet, local vendors say.
According to business owners, sales have fallen 30 to 40 percent since construction began at the end of July.
Work crews have torn into the street and sidewalks along the strip of Bank Street between Laurier Avenue and Wellington Street, causing the usually bustling shopping corridor to be closed to all but pedestrian traffic.
The construction is to replace the street’s aging infrastructure and underground pipes, including a 100-year-old water main, says Richard Holder, the city’s senior project manager. Workers will also install new street lights, trees and wider sidewalks in some areas.
Vincent Liu, owner of Teriyaki Plus, calls the tall metal fences surrounding the construction outside his eatery an “eyesore” for potential customers.
“It looks like jail,” he says. “Tourists don’t want to see that while they’re eating.”
Liu estimates he has lost a third of his business since construction began. Liu says this summer’s profits were the lowest he has seen in his seven years working there.
His sales have especially slumped during the usually busy lunch hour, when he says accessibility plays a huge role.
“Our regulars are choosing to go elsewhere, to the food courts in their buildings to avoid having to walk through the construction,” he says.
Rebecca Warren, manager of Images on Bank, agrees the lack of pedestrian traffic has affected her business.
Clouds of dust and dirt combined with the rumble of heavy machinery chase many people away from the area, she says.
“People don’t want to walk down here anymore and I don’t blame them,” she says.
“It’s messy, especially when it rains.”
Nature’s Care Health Products’ owner Mohammed Al-Zaidi says he is counting the days until the construction ends and business can return to normal.
“No one is reimbursing us for this,” he says.
Al-Zaidi says he and other small business owners were struggling to pay their expenses.
“We can live with the dirt and the dust and the noise,” says Al-Zaidi. “It’s the loss of business that hurts the most.”
Holder says he understands the difficulty business owners are experiencing, but that the construction was absolutely necessary.
“We’re asking for people’s understanding and patience while we complete this project,” he says.
According to Holder, construction along the stretch between Laurier Avenue and Queen Street should be completed by Thanksgiving.
The area between Queen Street and Wellington Street is scheduled to be finished by November.
This construction is just the first phase in the City of Ottawa’s plan to “rehabilitate the aging and deteriorating municipal infrastructure.”
The goal is to provide a more enjoyable pedestrian experience along the Bank Street corridor from Wellington Street down to the Rideau Canal.
Ultimately the redevelopment is expected to attract more shoppers to the area, boosting business.
Next summer, the city is scheduled to repair another stretch of the street, likely between Laurier and Gladstone avenues.
The entire project’s expected completion date is 2010.