Innisfil business owners 'annoyed' by ongoing construction on Lockhart Road

Innisfil, Ont. -

It's been three years since road work started on Lockhart Road in Innisfil, and business owners are growing frustrated with the ongoing closures and delays.

"I'm just really, really annoyed that this is an ongoing thing," said Rob Saunders, The Cove Café. "We're now going into our third closure in three years."

Saunders said his business was down about 40 per cent last year and blames the limited road access and confusing road signs.

He said the sign letting people know businesses in the area are open is behind the road closed sign and wants the town to fix the problem.

"Why should I have to advertise that we're still open for business? They should be promoting the businesses and the residents in the area, and not just closing the road for the town," Saunders stated.

Tamie Eberlin recently bought a hair salon in the construction grid and said clients avoid Lockhart Road.

"It's a headache getting down," she said. "People are just not coming to the plaza. They just don't want to deal with construction."

Meanwhile, the town said the road construction delays are the result of unforeseen challenges during the work.

"Unexpected utility lines have been found under the road. The contractor was digging to put in the water and sewer line," explained Hyder Rajab, Town of Innisfil. "The best approach was, we said 'okay, we'll change our design.'"

The latest work is expected to be completed by the end of November, weather permitting.

The town said crews would be back in the spring to finish the job.