The owner of Una Pizza and Wine said he expected to have business disrupted because of construction on 17 Avenue but now he has doubts it will be completed on time.
Kelly Black told Global News workers that arrived Friday morning were the first he’s seen in a week and the closure has already affected business.
“No parking… two lanes closed… obviously that’s going to affect business,” Black explained. “That’s just a frustrating thing to come to work every day and see no one out there doing anything.”
The city laid out plans to reconstruct 17 Avenue by 2018. The plans included upgrades to utility work and repairing sidewalks.
“It’s much needed and all the businesses support it,” Black said. “The issue we’ve had is it’s been pretty much a week and there’s been no one on the street.”
The city’s website features a detailed plan for electrical work to be complete along 17 Avenue from January 2016 until early February 2017.
Since construction began, Black said business has taken a hit.
“They started Jan. 4 and we’re down 30 per cent.”
The manager of a Sol Optix said it’s also seen a decline in business since crews started working in the area.
“It’s terrible,” Asif Hassam explained. “Our customers come from all over the city and there’s nowhere for them to park”.
The City of Calgary’s Jessica Bell said one of the reasons it may appear as though no one is working on the street is because it’s a transition period between underground work and repaving.
“Additionally, there’s emergency work that can come up and that kind of thing that crews have to respond to,” she said.
Bell said the work is on track to be complete by the February deadline.
Black said he isn’t convinced and is worried about looming construction this summer.
The entire street, between 5 and 6 Avenue, will be closed for a period of time in order to complete additional work.
“Judging by what’s happening right now, with lanes open and only one block open, we’re in trouble,” Black said.
The city said it is committed to working with the businesses as the work continues along the busy road.
Additional parking will be added along the north side of 17 Avenue and on 5A Street to help access affected businesses.
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