Preston road construction to wrap up for season in mid-December

Construction on King Street in the Preston area of Cambridge is set to wrap up for the season just in time for holiday shopping.

It's part of the two-and-a-half year Cambridge King Street Reconstruction Project. The project will address a number of things such as road conditions and sewage issues. 

Regional officials say that crews hope to finish the water main service, build curbs and finish paving the core within the next two weeks in the hopes work will be wrapped up by Dec. 13. Then, crews will return in the spring to plant trees and set up park benches.

King Street between Dover Street and Dolph Street in the Preston Town Centre area has been under construction since April.

'Our regular clients have gone'

The streetscape project has meant road closures, fenced off sidewalks and no on-street parking for the area. 

Drivers were directed to nearby parking lots where there was three hour parking and to back-door entrances.

Mohammed Aziz of Zillay Beauty said that plan didn't work for him as their back door "was not in a position to bring in the customers."

"Things have gotten worse," said Aziz, who has been at the Preston-area location for two years. "Our regular clients have gone and flown away."

He said they've been paying some of their bills using their savings to keep the business afloat. 

Aziz says he's pleased to hear construction is almost complete but that once it's over, he'll have to start all over again building clients at his business.

Customers avoiding area

Anna Pauletic of Emilia's Boutique, has been in the Preston Town Centre for 26 years. 

She says her business had the advantage of having a backdoor entrance to the store from a downtown parking lot. 

"Customers are able to come in right from the back. So it's worked out really well in that regard," Pauletic said. "But overall of course ... when you don't have walk-by traffic in the front sidewalks you know, the window shoppers and all of that. It definitely affects business."

She said she also heard from customers who didn't want to come to the downtown while construction was happening.

King Street remains open to through traffic.

The Region of Waterloo's transportation project manager, Dave Brown, said the project has gone "better than expected" despite the interruption to businesses.

He said the feedback has been "fairly positive."