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2- The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 15, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Residents tired of dust, noise and detours Continued from page 1 At 9 a.m. the construction teams on North Service Road East are fully engaged in their day's work and the area is filled with the humming of engines, the rumbling great dump trucks, the beeping of heavy equipment backing up and other construction yard noises. "We liked to sit out in our backyards. They used to be little paradises," said Bigelow of his home for the past 15 years. "Not anymore." Dave Bloomer, the commissioner of infrastructure and transportation for the Town of Oakville noted the project has been a complex one requiring the Ministry of Transportation to purchase some of the homes closer to Sixth Line to accommodate the QEW's widening, which will shift the QEW's dividing wall and North Service Road East farther north. The Region also had to relocate water and sewer lines. "It's a pretty significant project, but it is all a function of the fact that the ministry is improving the QEW and those improvements obviously have super benefits to the Town of Oakville," said Bloomer. "The more efficient and effective the QEW is, the better it is for the entire community's transportation network." The ministry is widening the QEW from east of Trafalgar Road to Burlington by adding HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes, which will be used by buses and vehicles carrying at least two people. The ministry is hopeful this measure "We liked to sit out in our backyards. They used to be little paradises. Not anymore." North Service Road East resident Brian Bigelow will help to reduce traffic congestion in the area. Bigelow and the other residents of North Service Road East take little comfort that what they have gone through is for the greater good. "Starting about two years ago, trucks would start to line up on our street at about 4:30 a.m., about 20 of those big gravel trucks, and all you heard from 4:30 a.m. on is beep-beep-beep-beep," he said. "They started digging and the dust from this just covers everything. We had to wash our van every two days. My pool and my hot tub would have dust in them. It would get in the house and my kid has asthma." Bigelow also noted that the construction cuts his cable, Internet and phone service on a regular basis with the service sometimes not being reconnected for days. The anger Bigelow feels over his neighbourhood's situation became clear when he stepped outside to point out a safety concern, which in turn attracted the attention of the construction foreman. A brief shouting match between the two ensued and the colourful metaphors began to fly as the foreman attempted to defend his work while Bigelow attempted to point out the dangers he saw from a trench located in front of his house. The spectacle attracted other construction workers, one of whom grabbed a cell phone and began dialing, before the heated discussion ended with Bigelow walking away. "It's just so frustrating," he said. As hard as it has been to deal with the conditions in his neighbourhood, Bigelow said the line was crossed with the latest municipal tax increase, which he feels is extremely inappropriate given the deterioration in the quality of life he and other "We've lost business. There are days when no clients at all come in" Pat Smith, owner of Creative Plus Hair Salon and Esthetics area residents have experienced. While the residents have had a hard time living through this, those who work in the area may have had it just a bit harder. The stretch of North Service Road East between Oakville Place and Sixth Line contains a small business plaza with four businesses. Once these businesses had access to a fairly steady stream of customers, but now with North Service Road East closed to regular traffic from Sixth Line to NOW OPEN 10% Off Join our official oyster perpetual lady-datejust steel and 18kt yellow gold Grand Opening Party Wed., August 20 4:30pm to 6:30 pm Dine-In or Take-Out Specializing in Thai Cuisine · Choose from a wide selection of Salads, Curry, Pad Thai, Seafood, Duck, Chicken and Beef · Private parties available for any corporate or private functions · Custom menu designed to your request, for any group of 12 or more Iroquois Shore Rd. 372 Iroquois Road, Oakville www.orchidthaifusion.com Trafalgar 905-815-9888 Oakville Place Oakville Place Dr. QEW Oakville Place, business has slowed to a trickle. "We've lost business," said Pat Smith, the owner of Creative Plus Hair Salon and Esthetics. "There are days when no clients at all come in." Smith said that while she was aware the QEW would be widened when she opened her business seven years ago, she said she was told it would not affect her business. That particular day the plaza was accessible only by travelling from Leighland Avenue to Churchill Avenue to North Service Road East, but Smith said the route is not reliable. "Some mornings we come and there will be a guy who says, `You can't come this way.' I'm like, `I own a business, I have to go to work,' and they tell me to go around, but sometimes when you do there's a sign that says, `No entry,'" said Smith. "There are times when you come in the morning and it's chaotic. One morning we came in and the parking lot was all dug up. Clients have been parking at Oakville Place and some of my clients are seniors and they've had to walk down and it's not fair." Despite the inconvenience, many of Smith's clients are still willing to go out of there way to get to her. However, this is not the case for Joseph Barsoum, who owns 2J's Convenience Store. When Barsoum opened his business two years ago, his hours of operation were from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., but now because of the lack of business he now opens at 9:30 a.m. He also leaves the store's lights off for most of the morning as he can no longer afford to do otherwise. "There's no customers, I keep losing business. The customers can't get here and when they try the construction people tell them to go another way," said Barsoum. "Even the construction people don't come here, they go to their coffee truck." Barsoum said he has been receiving some business from the local community, but it's not enough to cover the expenses involved in running a business or the rent he has to pay the landlord. "My business is dead. My hydro is about $1,000 every two months, I can't pay that. I have to borrow money from the bank every month to pay the rent," he said. "I don't know what to do." Barsoum said moving to a new location is not an option as he spent $70,000 to set his "Throughout the duration of construction, the Ministry has maintained all business and home owner access at all times along the North Service Road." Emna Dhahak, MTO senior bilingual media liaison sfficer business up where it is and he would have to sell it to go somewhere else. Given the situation on North Service Road East, Barsoum does not believe he would get a good price. Barsoum said he was unaware that the project was going to be taking place when he set up his business two years ago. However, Town officials pointed out that consultations on the matter date back nearly nine years. Town officials said because the road widening is a Ministry of Transportation project, there is very little that can be done to aid area residents and businesses in this situation. "In terms of how you protect directly adjacent property owners from the day-to-day impacts of construction activity it's pretty much impossible to do much more than protect their access so they can get to and from their property on a regular basis," said Bloomer. Both Barsoum and Smith believe the Ministry of Transportation should compensate them for the business they have lost as a result of the construction. When asked about compensation, the Ministry proved less than receptive to this idea. "Throughout the duration of construction, the Ministry has maintained all business and home owner access at all times along the North Service Road. In addition, we have altered our construction operations to minimize traffic disruption and installed additional signage along the North Service Road to ensure motorists are aware that the businesses remain open," said Emna Dhahak, MTO senior bilingual media liaison officer. "Once completed, the improvements along the North Service Road and the QEW will enhance the movement of traffic through this area." According to Dhahak all Ministry work on North Service Road East should be completed by this fall.