Businesses on two of Centretown’s main streets are bracing for major road reconstruction that could see stretches closed for up to five months beginning this spring.
The projects involve replacing watermains, upgrading sewers, improving roads and sidewalks, as well as planting trees, adding benches, garbage bins and bicycle racks on sections of Bank and Preston streets.
Construction is slated to start at the end of May on Bank Street and the end of April on Preston Street. It is expected to continue through to November or snowfall.
Concerned business owners and residents came out in droves to the city’s open house at the Centretown Community Health Centre last week to review the design, traffic flow and streetscape plans for the proposed reconstruction of Bank Street between Laurier Avenue West and Somerset Street West.
Gerry LePage, of the Bank Street Business Improvement Area, said he’s been working with the city to soften the impact of the construction on businesses in the area.
“We’ve certainly done everything we can under the circumstances," LePage said.
"We have to look ahead because we can’t have this street this tired.”
“Hopefully when the area is improved, we get better tenants, traffic and business.”
John Stephens, manager of Henry’s Camera at the corner of Bank and Cooper streets, says his number one concern is customer traffic.
He noted the area has already been hit hard because of the collapse of Somerset House earlier this year, that saw Bank and Somerset close for nearly three months.
“If we look at sidewalks along Bank Street, some of them are certainly in a state of disrepair, so it does have to be done. I think the area north of Laurier that’s been completed looks great now that it’s finished. The question is just much of this do you want to endure?” Stephens said.
Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes says businesses were given the option of keeping one lane open and prolonging the construction, or closing both lanes and having it done more quickly.
“It’s difficult anytime you redo a retail street like this one. But they want to see it done quickly and get the street opened as fast as possible,” Holmes said.
Luke Foley, the Bank Street reconstruction project manager, says the city will keep sidewalks and cross streets open and accommodate sidewalk sales and special events.
A large number of members from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community also attended the open house and expressed concerns the city’s plan did not reflect their request for the area near Somerset and Maclaren to be designated as “the village.”
“We are a strong component in this area with about 40 businesses, but it’s not obvious. We’d like a rainbow flag or a village logo or rainbow banners. We need to be a visible part of the community,” said Glenn Crawford of Jack of All Trades Design.
Holmes said the interest to designate the area had not been expressed this loud and clear in the past and the first step would be for representatives from the community and businesses to meet with the Bank Street BIA to see if an agreement can be reached.
“If ‘the village’ is the name they want, somehow we need to try and incorporate it,” she added.
On Preston Street, businesses are also preparing for three years of reconstruction. Ravi Mehta, a senior engineer with the City of Ottawa, says the street has been divided into six contracts. He says two projects will be completed each year.
Mehta says this year’s contracts run from Spruce Street to Larch Street and from Young Street to Beech Street. There will be some road closures in the residential area near Spruce Street, but only for about eight to 10 weeks.
Lori Mellor, of the Preston Street Business Improvement Area, said Preston Street will always be open southbound one way, unlike Bank Street.
“Businesses are definitely apprehensive about this. We don’t want people to avoid the area so that is why we have been so adamant that the street must remain open,” Mellor said. “We do want this. It’s just no pain, no gain.”