Intersection closure continues to plague Stratford businesses

Owners of businesses near a Stratford intersection that has been closed for almost a month are concerned about paying their bills after learning the reconstruction work there has been delayed.

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With the intersection of Albert Street and Waterloo Street South closed to cars and trucks since Oct. 12, customer traffic for nearby stores, restaurants and services has slowed to a trickle. Adjacent stretches of Albert Street are also closed to traffic during the ongoing reconstruction project to replace aging underground pipes and upgrade the roadway.

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“I haven’t had a summer season without the construction nearby,” said Ariana Poch, owner of Pistolnik Upholstery Service and Furniture at the corner of Albert Street and Waterloo Street South. “It has been a four-way stop all summer pretty much and then, since the closure, I think I’ve done 25 per cent of what I made in September. It has been a mad scramble to try to figure out how to recoup my costs because I still have all of my expenses.

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“A lot of people are just confused and assume that I’m not open, which is frustrating, because of the road closures all over the place.”

And Poch isn’t the only business owner on the street feeling that pinch. Downtown Stratford BIA general manager Jamie Pritchard said all of the businesses along the downtown section of Albert Street, many of which are relatively new to the downtown Stratford business community, are also struggling.

“It’s frustrating,” Pritchard said. “It’s kind of liked to if you go to work every day and, one day, your boss said, ‘For the next two weeks, I’m only going to give you 25 per cent of your wage.’ You still have to work hard and you’re only going to get a quarter of your income. Then, after you do that for the two weeks, they come and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to need another two-and-a-half weeks.’

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While frustrating, both Pritchard and Poch noted the city has been very frank about the reasons behind the delay and know staff are doing what they can to get that intersection reopened as quickly as possible.

Speaking with the Beacon Herald, city infrastructure director Taylor Crinklaw said this extended intersection closure is the result of subcontractor availability. While this year’s first phase of the reconstruction project has proceeded mostly on schedule, this hiccup, Crinklaw explained, is a result of delays in some of the curbing and paving subcontractors’ other jobs elsewhere.

Still, he expects that work to begin as soon as next week.

“We are putting pressure on our contractor to try and put them in as soon as possible and, hopefully, that work will begin shortly,” he said.

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The city, he added, is keenly aware of the pressures the Albert Street construction is putting on businesses in the area.

Despite this recent delay, the bulk of the project has been on schedule, Crinklaw noted.

“In terms of that intersection, there’s a lot of underground utilities,” he said. “Being the downtown core, you have communications, hydro, gas, and it’s a fairly busy intersection which makes any kind of work in the underground complicated. And because we’re installing a new water main along Albert Street, we have to get in there, install the new pipe and make those connections.

“That work has now been completed successfully and the downtime in terms of not having water service (in that area) was basically kept to one morning, so that was really good. … We’re now looking to do final surface, so curbing and paving is what remains.”

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In the meantime, an electronic sign placed at Downie and Albert streets is reminding residents and visitors that all of the businesses along the closed section of Albert Street remain open. Both Pritchard and Poch are encouraging locals to make a point of showing their support for those businesses by either spending some money or just dropping in to say hello.

“The stores, the restaurants, everyone that’s down here; this is their livelihood. …We just want people to come out and show these businesses some love,” Pritchard said.

For more information on the city’s Albert Street reconstruction project, visit engagestratford.ca/albert-street-reconstruction-phase-1.

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