Planned light-rail construction along Albert Street between Rochester and Empress streets has some cyclists concerned, but business owners are not worried about loss of business.
The construction, planned to begin on Jan. 6, but delayed to Jan. 26, will take place until “late summer 2015,” according to a news release by the City of Ottawa.
The construction period will see the westbound bus stop at Albert and Booth streets temporarily removed along with the multi-use pathway used by residents of the area for walking and cycling.
“The closure is necessary to allow for the construction and installation of the LeBreton Flats Diversion Sewer Chamber which is an integral part of the Ottawa River Action Plan and the construction of the Booth Street Bridge,” reads the release. The city suggests a cyclist detour that follows the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.
The Booth Street Bridge will pass over the light rail tracks at the planned Pimisi Station, between Albert Street and the transitway.
Centretown West resident Amanda Richards often bikes along the multi-use pathway to the downtown core for work. She says she’s concerned about safety once the pathway is removed.
“The detour they suggested looks really long so I might be late to work if I take it, or have to leave really early,” says Richards. “But at the same time it sounds really scary to try to merge into one lane, especially in the winter, and the other side streets that might be faster (than the detour) are usually pretty icy in the winter.”
Businesses in the area, however, are less concerned. While Albert Street is heavily populated, many of the businesses in this area don’t have a lot of walk-in customers, says Luigi Lorusso, owner of Lorusso Hair Salon, located at Booth and Albert.
“Most of my clients have been with me for a long time . . . so they’ve followed me up until now, and I’m hoping they still get here,” Lorusso says.
He says in the short-term his clients might have a harder time getting to the shop, but in the future the light rail system and a stop only about a block away could bring more business and easier access for his existing clients.
“It is a concern, but this is the pain we have to go through for future gain,” he says.
Since the area is also home to a lot of office buildings, restaurants are not as worried about losing regular customers to the traffic, says Carolyn Rowe, manager of Green Rebel, a salad and sandwich chain restaurant at Albert and Empress.
“Nobody driving down the street would be really coming in. We’re in the downtown core, so it’s people who are in their offices all day long and want to run out and get a salad really quick,” she says.
“Rideau Transit Group will take every precaution to minimize interruptions to the normal life of your family and/or operation of your business, but as you can appreciate, there may be some inconvenience during the course of the operation of the work,” reads the city’s release.
“Significant communications has been shared with the local community to prepare them for the construction activity and related impacts,” said Richard Holder, manager of rail projects for the city’s Rail Implementation Office, in an email. “To date, the city has received only a few inquiries related to this construction project.”