THUNDER BAY — Construction on the roundabout near the Marina Park overpass has left some businesses struggling to help customers access their stores.
Ungalli Clothing Co., one of the local businesses on the corner of Cumberland Street North and Villa Street, is now only accessible by North Water Street due to the construction.
“We’re excited about the progress in the city, but it definitely has affected how you get into our front doors. I think it just mostly is confusing,” said Bree Hollinsworth, one of the co-founders of the business.
People who really want to get there are still making their way, said Hailey Buosi, also a co-founder, but there’s definitely fewer people coming in.
“The tourists that would have stopped by if they were walking around, I would say we definitely are seeing a little bit less foot traffic than normal,” Buosi said, adding that it’s hard to say the number because retail has already been pretty slow in this area the past few years.
Area businesses had signs made to direct traffic through the road closure signs since no one was going past them in the beginning, Hollinsworth said. She believes every business around the area and Portobello Home on the other side is feeling pressure to let their customers know how to get there and where they can still find them.
“It has been a little bit frustrating because that’s kind of been put on us to deal with like there’s been no signage from the city or anything like that, so we’ve been having to spend our own money on signs kind of all the way along Water Street (and) new signs in our parking lot,” Buosi said.
With the exact closures changing day-to-day, these signs also have to be moved daily, said to the co-founders.
“Feel free to give us a call if you’re confused. We’re always happy to kind of walk people through where they can park and how to get to us,” said Hollinsworth.
While Ungalli Clothing Co.’s hours remain the same despite the construction, the team at the Cinema 5 Skatepark has decided to adjust their hours at the park to ensure safety and quality service.
“The construction company and the City have been excellent in keeping us updated and working with us to minimize disruptions. We truly appreciate their communication and efforts,” said Vanessa Bowles, the skatepark’s owner and operator.
“The main impact has been for families, as it has sometimes made drop-offs and pick-ups a little more challenging to navigate, but overall, the work has been handled very thoughtfully.”
As of Monday, all sewer and water work from the intersection to Villa Street, the pouring of the inner and outer rings of the roundabout and the curb and gutter towards Villa Street on the west side are complete.
However, the removal and pouring of more curbs and gutters are expected to continue alongside piping, the start of forming for sidewalks and the relocation of hydroducts due to the removal of many poles in the area for Synergy North work.
A truck apron inside the roundabout and some sanitary sewer work on Tupper Street are also on the agenda, likely within the next week or so.
This work on the roundabout, which started back in July, is on track to be completed on Oct. 30.
While dependent on the fall weather, Brian Newman, the City of Thunder Bay’s senior project engineer, said he was confident they'll have everything done by the deadline — hoping to get the intersection itself opened earlier.
“There’s a lot of line painting, a lot of signage, a lot of just different signals and just lighting that has to happen well before we can open it. So, there’s a lot of work that still has to happen as you can see, but there’s a lot of workforce down here day in and day out now, so it’s really rolling well,” Newman said.
In the meantime, Newman recommended that people stay away from the area.
“High street is shut down as well, so the north (and) south are kind of in a bit of turmoil right now. But having said that, we’ll have this opened up as soon as possible, like I said later (in the) fall, but just avoiding the area is the best case,” Newman said, adding people should try to use Court Street and Algoma Street as best they can.
Although there is also an Enbridge Gas-related closure expected on Algoma Street in the coming weeks, Newman continued, so that will further complicate the traffic flow in the area.
