‘Never going to end’: Businesses frustrated with Stony Plain Road construction

Businesses are becoming increasingly frustrated as work continues on the Valley Line West LRT.

What they’ve noticed the most is the lack of progress, which they say has left them struggling to stay afloat.

Many of the businesses along Stony Plain Road said they are waiting for a solid timeline on the Valley Line LRT construction.

“The refrain starts going from ‘When is this happening’ to ‘This is never going to end,'” said Brandon Schatz, chair of the Stony Plain Road Business Association.

“This side of the road was supposed to be done last year and then we were promised this spring. Now it is the end of September and we’re being promised something for October.”

1:39 Gateway Blvd. businesses voice construction concerns

The work for the Valley Line is being done by Marigold Infrastructure Partners. For the past two years part of the road has been ripped up.

“It’s had a terrible impact on my business: sales are about half of what they should be and there just seems to be no end in sight,” said Dennis Aronyk, owner of Revolution Cycle.

Aronyk said the majority of his customers comment on how difficult it is to get to the store and park nearby.

“The road right in front of us was supposed to be paved in August. It’s still just a big gaping hole,” he said.

1:24 Part of Groat Road to close temporarily for Stony Plain Road bridge construction

The Stony Plain Road Business Association said many of its members have been getting increasingly frustrated, as they’ve noticed construction moving ahead at a very slow pace.

“I can count small chunks of time probably on both hands over the past two years that I’ve actually seen work done for a significant amount of time out here, a few days in a row,” said Schatz.

Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Tim Cartmell has heard from residents about the traffic delays and roadblocks throughout the west end of the city. He said city staff can enforce deadlines, but not much more.

“When you’ve got a construction site that occupies 12 or 14 kilometres of roadway from the centre to the edge of town, there’s going to be some interruption. The city leaves the contractor responsible to figure out what the sequence of the work will be,” Cartmell said.

1:49 Owner of store in downtown Edmonton frustrated with construction

In a statement to Global News, Marigold Infrastructure Partners acknowledged the construction fatigue.

“Our goal is to ensure that the construction process is as smooth as possible for both businesses and the community, and we remain committed to working collaboratively to address any concerns and complete these projects on time,” read the statement.

For now, those in the area remain anxious, like Yuksel Gultekin who said his business has lost a lot of his exposure due to the road being closed.

“Down the road it’s going to be great, it’s going to be more exposure and going to be more people around here,” said Gultekin, owner of ARPA Butcher’s Shop. “But (it’s) all about survival until that time.”