A construction project in downtown Guelph is set to start Monday tearing up Wilson Street and closing it to motor traffic.
Local area shop owners are voicing their concerns about how that project may affect their business.
The first part is expected to last three months but the second phase will take much longer.
The city hopes it solves a long-standing problem in downtown Guelph.
"What the city is attempting to do is replicate the success of Carden Street on Wilson Street, said Bob Bell a Guelph city councillor.
Wilson Street between Northumberland and Macdonell Streets will be closed until the end of October.
"What is going to happen is the entire street is going to be dug up. The city is going to replace all the sub-service infrastructure," said Bell.
Local business owners are concerned the construction means they will hit their bottom line.
"Maybe change our store hours, do some promotions. Me personally I’m going to wait a week to see how it settles out, and if customers are still venturing in," said Lynn Kurp at Millennium Clothing.
The city is also planning to build a 500-spot parkade on the current Wilson Street parking lot after the road construction is complete.
The plan for the new parkade will cost about $20 million and the city hopes to have it built within two years.
With reporting from CTV Kitchener’s Stu Gooden.
