MONTREAL - Construction is taking its toll on business owners on Park Ave., and now news that some work has been delayed at Laurier St. has left merchants frustrated.
Business owners on Park were promised one stage of road repairs, but the city has recently informed them that noisy construction crews merchants say are scaring away business will be returning in the new year for extra repairs.
As the city replaces kilometers of old water pipes and sewers, merchants like café owner Noelle Papasoff say they are reaching a breaking point.
Opened in July, Papasoff fears she may have to consider closing her business.
"Since I've been open, I've had hardly anybody. The noise – (and) nobody can park, nobody and stop, nobody can do anything," she said.
"I'm going down the drain. Not just me, but everybody – across the street, my neighbour, everybody. It's a disaster."
The city is repairing Park in eight stages, a plan designed to avoid any one stretch being disturbed for too long or more than once.
The city promised construction on Park between Laurier and Villeneuve Ave. would be completed by Dec. 6, in time for the holiday season, but difficulties repairing a water main at Laurier and Park mean crews will return in 2012 to complete the job.
"They just keep extending certain parts of it for later, and later, and later, which means they just going to keep coming back and back and back," said Jimmy Zoubris of Park Avenue Merchants' Association.
Stephan Pelletier, owner of Bowfinger Barbeque, said he's left scratching his head at the delays.
"The hole is already there. Why would they not just finish the work get it done and move onto the next block?" he said.
