'They don't come:' Businesses at plaza at Banwell and Wildwood upset over construction
CBC
Businesses at a plaza at the intersection of Banwell Road and Wildwood Drive say construction at the intersection is hurting them.
Access to the plaza from Banwell Road has been cut off by construction of a roundabout. The only way to access the plaza is from Wildwood Drive, by turning on Robinet Road from Tecumseh Road East.
"Usually, the restaurant is full because we have a lot of offices and workers around," said Mira Brija, a waitress at Wildwood Grill. "They come for lunch and they have roughly 20-30 minutes to get their lunch done. With the construction, that 20 minutes gets them 10 minutes or maybe less."
"So they don't come."
The construction at the intersection is part of a massive overhaul of Banwell Road from Palmetto Street to the intersection where the plaza is.
According to the City of Windsor's construction projects website, the first phase of the project, which featured adding streetlights, was completed on Sept. 2.
The project will also include the installation of storm sewers, the roundabout at the intersection of Banwell Road and Wildwood/Mulberry Drives and the widening of Banwell, including trails and sidewalks.
For Brija, the drop in customers has resulted in a loss of working time.
"My hours are cut off," she said. "I used to work from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., but now I work from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m."
"Nowadays, you cannot make a living with three or four hours [of work]."
Brija said the lack of hours is making things very difficult to help her four kids.
Wildwood Grill is not the only business in the plaza that has suffered. You Are Beautiful Hair Design And Esthetics has also seen a drop in business.
"Retail has gone down," said Rodica Neagu, the owner of the salon. "Customers are coming late because we are trying to inform them about the re-routing."
Neagu spoke with the City of Windsor about trying to get detour signage to inform drivers on how to get to the plaza. She said signage was only placed there last week.
Fire crews responded to a transport truck fire on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.
When the government touts that its auto insurance reforms might curb premiums by $400 come 2027, the ministers and premier don't readily mention what's to come in the three years leading up to that.
Who poses the greater threat to the free speech of Conservative MPs — the Speaker of the House of Commons or the leader of the Conservative Party?
As city council prepares to vote on a temporary shelter village for people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., opposition is growing among the area's business community.
A Toronto centre for Black art is hosting an exhibition this weekend that exclusively features work by artists from across the African diaspora.
Click on the video player above on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET to watch the 2024 Vanier Cup.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Some Canadian seniors say they're feeling abandoned by the Liberal government's latest inflation relief measure after learning they don't qualify for it.
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The weather has certainly been gloomy, damp and windy over the past 10 days in Nova Scotia and it's going to continue this weekend.
Premier Susan Holt says the federal tax holiday on some goods announced Thursday could cost New Brunswick $62 million in revenue.