Construction for major revitalization project raises concerns for Dewdney Avenue business owners

Business owners on Regina's Dewdney Avenue say they're concernedabout the effect a construction project in the area is already having on traffic, and could have in the months ahead.

The City of Regina has begun a revitalization project along themajor route, with an end goal of turning it into an entertainment district.

The project is expected to take two years to complete. Inthe meantime, the business area is filled with orange pylons, holes in the concrete and road closure signs.

"The big challenge that we're facing is just public perception customers calling us asking if we're open during the construction phase is quite frustrating because we certainly are open," said Grant Frew, who runs the Bushwakker Brewpub on Dewdney.

"We've absolutely seen a reduction."

Construction is being done in phases. The latest started thisweek on the Albert Streetintersection, leading to road closures.

This year's work is focused on replacing underground infrastructure, which is more than a century old. The second year of construction will have an emphasis on paving and surface work.

The Dewdney project is expected to cost $32 million and is a part of a larger $64-million revitalization project for The Yardsa piece of land located betweenCasino Reginaand Dewdney Avenue that hassat empty since CPRail decided to move its rail yard out Regina's downtown in 2012.

That project began in April and is set to finish in the summer of 2026.

Business owners like Frew worry that two years with active construction taking up parking spaces will drive away customers.

"The big thing that we're hearing, especially from our older customers, is that there's simply no parking," said Frew.

"There is, of course, the large parking lot that's just a block and a half down the street from us, but that's a little too far for some of our older customers."

Safety concerns

Marjorie Elliot opened the Boiler Room, a 24-hour gym,on Dewdneyin 2020, justbefore the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

After struggling to remain afloat during the pandemic, Elliot said she's now faced with the challenge of losing customers due to the construction, anda lack of parking spots isn't the only deterrent they face.

Dewdneyhas in the past had a lot of foot traffic. But now,sidewalks areblocked by construction, which Elliot said is reducing that foot traffic.

She said she's seen fewer people taking advantage of the 24-hour benefit of the gym.

"Women aren't going to come at 10 at night. They have to park down by Rebellion Brewing and walk all that way down just to go to the gym," said Elliot. "It's not a safe area for that, because the traffic is not what it used to be."

That lack of traffic is also keeping people from discovering new businesses, she said.

"We're not getting people walking by going, 'Oh, here's the sign for this new business. I didn't even know about it,'" said Elliot. "So it's not just that we're losing clients, we're not gaining any new business either."

Elliot is also concerned about the pace of the construction work.

"There have been weeks and weeks where there's nothing happening. There's no trucks [or]people out there," she said. "It's frustrating to watch, because we don't understand why this isn't a priority. Why isn't there 24-hour service out there?"

The Dewdney business community islooking forward to the prospect of"this brand new fantastic entertainment centre," said Elliot.

But "if these businesses don't survive, we're going to have an entertainment centre with no businesses. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

The city has said it islooking forward to the project being done and the new traffic it will bring to the area.

Mark Heise, the owner of Rebellion Brewing, also located on Dewdney, said he thinks there will be long-term gain from the construction work.

"I hope everyone just has the imagination to see how great and impactful it's going to be for this entire area," he said.

"It's going to be night and day, and once we're through that, people are going to realize this construction was totally worth it it was worth a month or two of some tough sales."