After surviving construction, a transit strike and a recession, Kim Ramji, general manager of Atomic Rooster, is looking forward to having traffic running along Bank Street again.
Kim Ramji has kept The Atomic Rooster on Bank Street alive through two phases of road rehabilitation as well as the Somerset House building collapse since it opened in 2007.
She says this year hit them harder than ever as they also endured the OC Transpo strike and the economic recession.
But all Bank Street businesses will breathe a sigh of relief this month as the final phase of construction, from Somerset Street to Catherine Street, is slated to be completed earlier than scheduled.
“For us it’s going to be really interesting because we have never experienced Bank Street operating at its full potential,” she says.
The city plans to open the street to traffic on Nov. 14, almost two weeks earlier than contractors predicted.
Luke Foley, Ottawa’s senior project manager, says the earlier street opening is thanks to the productivity of contractors and construction crews.
“They had good management all round . . . they aimed to please the area’s businesses,” he says.
The contractors also ensured sidewalks remained open throughout the construction because many of the businesses along Bank Street depend on foot traffic to survive.
The decision was vital to the survival of Wanda Cotie’s new business, Wicked Wanda’s Adult Emporium, which opened on May 6 – soon after the final phase of construction began on April 27.
“I made the decision that I’d come down to Bank Street and face the music of the construction . . . I hope to see some good business but I have no idea,” she says. “We’re holding on.”
Cotie says she feels relieved the construction is ending early because it will encourage her old customers to come to her new location.
“It’s been a hard year . . . and it’s enough,” she says.
Foley says the city wants to open some of the street even earlier than the official opening date. Some areas are expected to open just after the evening rush hour on Nov. 13, he says.
He says all side streets that were converted during construction will go back to as they were prior to construction.
Buses will be back on their traditional routs by 6 p.m. on Friday after rush hour.
Ramji and Cotie say they are excited to see people travelling back along Bank Street, and Cotie says she is happy to finally be able to throw a grand opening for her store.
“I didn’t want to do a grand opening when people were having a tough time getting down the street,” she says. “Before it was just mud, mud everywhere.”
Ramji says she owes the survival of her pub to the loyalty of her customers who came in regularly despite the construction.
But she says it is crucial Centretown residents come down and support their local businesses.
“We’re here, all of the businesses on Bank Street are still here,” she says.
“Come on and support your local businesses,” says Ramji. “We need it after two years of construction. It was hard to get through.”
While the current construction will be over soon, a new phase will begin next year along Bank Street through the Glebe.