Union Street closure frustrates business

Difficulties in the excavation of Saint John’s new Peel Plaza have pushed the re-opening of Union Street back two weeks. This has meant frustrations for a business owner in the area.

Nick Georgoudis says his Vitos restaurant has been caught in the middle of the construction since it began in June.

"This is a mess," he said Thursday.

Bill Edwards is the project manager for Peel Plaza.

He said unforeseen difficulties in the excavation meant the construction crew had to bring in a special drill to do the work.

"At the intersection of Union Street and Hazen and Chipman Hill there is a lot of infrastructure there, a lot of man holes and communication equipment," he said.

"The decision was made to try and drill underneath of all of that existing infrastructure as opposed to conventional digging and exposing everything."

The process has left Georgoudis and his customers with a shared alleyway entrance to his business until at least the end of the month.

"I guess we just have to bite the bullet and wait till everything is done," he said.

Despite that, Georgoudis says the crew has done a good job of keeping him in the loop.

"They let you know what they are doing and where they are standing," he said.

If everything goes as planned Bill Edwards said Union Street will be back normal by the first week of November.