It’s another significant change that will affect those commuting downtown.
Starting Monday, the southbound lane of Elgin Street from Laurier Avenue to Somerset Street will close to vehicles as part of the $36 million renewal project.
The closure means Elgin will be fully closed to vehicles from Laurier Ave. to Catherine Street.
The Brown Loaf Bakery is one of a few businesses saying they've taken a financial hit.
“Now they cannot come because [of] no parking spots so it’s hard…actually we lose some customers,” says Zhimin Yang.
Yang says she’s also worried about the summer when the bakery door has to stay open because there’s no air conditioning.
“I don’t know how it’ll work because with the door open the dust will come in and it’s very noisy,” she says.
To encourage people to still visit the area during construction and help drivers with parking, the city has offered free parking at city hall on weekends and weeknights after 6 p.m. until the project is complete.
The project, which started a few months ago, includes replacing aging underground infrastructure and burying hydro wires.
Detours are in place and sidewalks remain open for pedestrians.
“Aside from being a minor inconvenience it’s not the end of the world and I assume it needs to be done right?” said Rachael Hunter.
