St. Catharines Downtown Association

Each weekday around 4 a.m., St. Paul Street resident Maria Sleight wakes up to the sound of bulldozers rumbling to life and ripping into asphalt.

She loves it.

Every early-morning minute construction crews spend digging into the earth to install new sewer and water mains, the better it will be for her clothing store, Verity, which is located on the floor below her apartment.

The sooner work to convert several downtown streets to two-way traffic is complete, the better, Sleight said. The dust, noise and traffic tie-ups that started in early March are keeping away customers, she said.

“To me that means they’ve got five hours before the store opens that they’re working,” Sleight said of her interrupted sleep.

“It’s all about the customers. It’s all about the community right now.”

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Kurt Gwisdek, owner of Liberty! Bicycles on St. Paul Street, agreed the construction is a drag for business, but said the work is being done quickly and efficiently.

“It’s got to get done,” said Gwisdek, who is happy about the water and sewer main work, but opposes two-way traffic because of the problems it will pose for trucks making big deliveries.

“Is it affecting my business? Yeah. There’s no question about it. Is it worth complaining about it? A lot of people like to complain about just about everything in this town, right? So no.”

James Ip, an inspector with V&S Engineering Ltd., the company contracted by Niagara Region to do the downtown roadwork, said he hasn’t heard too many complaints from business owners.

Motorists, however, were fairly irate the first week work began, said Ip, whose job includes liaising with the public. Most are finding other ways to get around, he said.

“Obviously they’re on their way to work or have important places to be, and we have a job to do and we’re trying to get it done and try not to disrupt as much as possible,” Ip said.

“It is more challenging because it is a high-profile area. It’s tough to please everybody.”

Sleight said she understands the work needs to be done, and is looking forward to more pedestrian-friendly two-way traffic on St. Paul Street.

Until then, it’s going to be tough.

“Coping is a daily strategy for me. I’ve got dust, I’ve got no customers. All I can do is hold on to the fact that it’s going to be a better downtown.”