Park Ave. construction plans anger merchants

Small business owners along Montreal's Park Avenue are fuming over plans for major construction work that will be starting in two weeks.

According to a letter sent out to business owners and residents this week and obtained by CBC News, the work will require the closure of a northbound traffic lane between Saint-Viateur and Fairmount avenues.

There will also be traffic restrictions on the busy north-south artery.

The first phase of the work will include the reconstruction of sewers and drinking-water mains, as well as work on electrical and gas lines. The first phase is expected to continue until November.

The following phases of work, which are scheduled through 2012, will include the area between Laurier and Mont-Royal avenues, as well as some work on Saint-Joseph Boulevard W. and Hutchison Street.

"It's going to kill us," said Rouaida El-Tekly, owner of carpet store Antoine Décor. "If we knew before, we wouldn't have renewed our lease.

El-Tekly said she knows the work needs to be done.

"But, at least give us three month's notice and not a flyer [in] our mailbox."

Jimmy Roussos of the Nostos office supply store agreed it will be bad for business.

"It's going to take double the time to find parking and more time to get to the door," he said.

Restaurateurs are bemoaning the fact that the construction comes during their most profitable time of year.

"We rely on the summer to make up for slower times and now, with no parking and lots of construction… it ruins everything," said Niki Galanis of Mythos Ouzeri Restaurant.

Chris Karidogiannis owns two flag shops on Park Avenue.

He said he hopes the city will be careful not to make the same mistakes it did with a similar project on Saint-Laurent Boulevard three years ago. That work stretched out over a year and had to be redone at the request of Gaz Metro.

"They dug it up and then they left it dug up again and they re-dug it, it killed a lot of businesses on Saint-Laurent," said Karidogiannis. "So we're trying to avoid mistakes like that."

An information centre will be opened on Park Avenue in the coming months to respond to questions from residents.

The city declined to comment on the construction before a public meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Mile End Library at 5434 Park Ave.