‘It’s been devastating for the last year and a half or so’: A London business sheds light on the impacts of a road construction project

After road restrictions were in place around a London restaurant for over a year, CTV’s Gerry Dewan has more on the relief of completed construction.

An east London business owner is shedding light on just how much of an impact construction can have on the bottom line.

Road restrictions had been in place around his restaurant for more than a year and have finally been lifted.

“It’s been devastating for the last year and a half or so,” said David Boon.

Boon owns the Arby’s at Oxford and Highbury.

His is one of more than a dozen businesses on the Oxbury Centre property.

Boon believes work being done to put new sewer, water and other services in the ground to serve a residential site on the southeast corner of the intersection will be beneficial.

The development by Old Oak Properties is touted one of the largest in the city’s history with more than 8,400 residential units planned, according to city zoning documents.

The infrastructure work also provided an opportunity to incorporate traffic upgrades to accommodate Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines leading to and from Fanshawe College.

But, the work resulted in the closure of lanes on Highbury and Oxford where drivers would access to the Oxbury Centre.

At times, the only access was the lone entrance off of Mornington Avenue.

Boon told CTV News those restrictions were a blow to businesses in the mall.

“I’m never shy about dollars or cents or anything, but our sales are down 60 per cent from before the construction. And in that time, I mean, we’ve gone from 30 staff to about 14 staff, which has been heartbreaking really.”

He estimates his business lost about $200,000 in the last year and a half, and other businesses in the mall reported significant losses.

He says in some communities, the local restaurant association maintains a fund to help businesses impacted by construction.

He believes it’s worth discussing in London, and the city should consider chipping in to ensure business aren’t put at risk.

“In other cities, that is what happens. It’s a fund that goes to them, but not in London or area. And, as everyone in London knows, there’s a lot of construction.”

The infrastructure and road work are continuing with Phase 4 of the East London Link now underway, which includes new road closures with detours in place.

The closure of the intersection at Oxford and Second Street will last about two weeks and it’s expected to reopen on October 3.

“We looked at every option to try to keep the second and Oxford Street intersection open,” said Jennie Dann, Director of Construction and Infrastructure Services for the City of London.

She continued, “It was necessary to do a full closure to safely complete the underground infrastructure. So, we are trying to do it as quickly as we can. With the full closure, we actually can attack it a little bit faster than trying to keep traffic moving through the intersection while we work.”

Boon says customers have started to return and he’s making plans to hire new staff.