Queen Street construction hurting Sault businesses

Queen Street construction affects Sault businesses Two months of heavy construction is taking a serious toll on business on Queen Street in Sault Ste. Marie.

Summer typically brings more traffic to downtowns, but significant construction is causing the opposite effect in Sault Ste. Marie.

Business owners on Queen Street say foot traffic -- and business -- is way down this summer season after two months of construction.

“It’s been hard to get in here with all the road construction,” one person said.

The road and sidewalk in front of shops like Soaps by Shé is non-existent, driving away customers en masse.

“They're staying away,” said Shileen Lunelli.

“They don't know where to go. They don't know what's open. I have a friend a couple of doors down, The Corner Nook, they've closed for most of July and August because it's impacted their business greatly. So I think customers don't want to come down, either, because they don't know what's open.

The city, construction companies and the local downtown association are all working to remind the public that businesses in the downtown remain open.

But foot traffic has slowed significantly this summer.

"I believe the stat is when like Main Streets go through these public infrastructure projects where, you know, like this ripping up the street, there's 17 per cent of existing businesses that will close,” said Nicholas Luck of the Sault Downtown Association.

“So we want to do everything we can to ensure that doesn't happen.”

It has been decades since Queen Street's last facelift and businesses are hopeful that the work will lead to an increase in visitors once work wraps up.

"It's just like any renovation,” said Marnie Stone of Stone's Office Supplies.

“It's a little bit uncomfortable as you're going through it, but it's really going to be worth it when it's all said and done.”

City staff say, despite minor hiccups, construction is on schedule.

"Today they're pouring curb and some of the sidewalk has been poured and they're continuing with the rest of the sidewalk this week,” said Maggie McAuley of the City of Sault Ste. Marie.

“We're going to be moving on and getting into finishing the curb and getting some asphalt down. And hopefully we'll see the contractor … moving on to the other blocks.”

Construction on the south side of Queen Street will begin once the north side is deemed fit for traffic, which is expected to be late August.

Around the same time, crews will be closing Queen from March to Elgin streets for a six-week period.