Windsor restaurant says it might close because of city road construction season

It used to be a lot easier to get to Marina Fish and Chicken on University Avenue West in Windsor, Ont.

The small restaurant offering Lebanese cuisine is near the intersection with Crawford Avenue — which is currently under heavy construction.

Safety fences and mounds of dirt surround the restaurant's lot, making it difficult to reach for vehicles and pedestrians alike.

Restaurant employee Hassan Cherry told CBC News the situation is so bad, even the eatery's regular customers don't realize the business is still operating.

"We have little to no income," Cherry said. "It's really depressing ... We rarely get new customers now."

Business owner Jhassan Mansour has been considering closing permanently.

"He can't stand these losses," said Cherry, who translates for Mansour. "He's losing too much now."

Marina Fish and Chicken is just one of the locations being affected by a major upgrade of the University Avenue West corridor. The project involves sewer work and road rehabilitation from Salter Avenue in the east to McEwan Avenue in the west.

D'Amore Construction Ltd. won the contract for the work, which began in March and is expected to continue until Dec. 19.

The city "should give us the money back that we lost," Cherry lamented. "Just come and see how it is. They should come. It's bad."

In a statement to CBC News, City of Windsor administration said "few complaints" have been received from businesses impacted by the construction and the work is proceeding as planned.

According to the city, there has been "open communication" with all affected businesses and residents, and "every effort is made to minimize disruptions."

"Construction always has the potential to bring temporary inconveniences and challenges," the city stated. "This construction project, as is often the case with road work, represents a critical investment which will benefit the community for decades to follow."

Renaldo Agostino, councillor for Ward 3 where the University Avenue West and Crawford Avenue intersection is located, also emphasized the construction will help the area in the long run.

"The benefits in the long term are going to pay off substantially for the businesses. But it's this short-term pain which we've got to try to make it through."

Agostino said he hadn't previously heard about the situation at Marina Fish and Chicken, but he personally checked out the address when he learned of the restaurant's struggle. He's also reached out to the public works department.

"There is a huge amount of soil in front of their business," he said. "If we can get that cleared up at the very least, (we) can make the business more visible — make it so that one car could get in and out, or find some traffic plan for parking their customers."

Agostino said that as a resident and a driver, he understands the public's frustrations about the summer construction season. But he also understands the work is "a necessary evil."

Last spring, on April 29, 2024, a sinkhole opened in the middle of the intersection of University Avenue West and Church Street, forcing the closure of roadways in a one-block radius for several days.

An investigation into the incident determined the cause to be a broken catch basin pipe.

The current construction project on University Avenue West includes improvement of storm sewers and water mains.

"It's one of those things where it's just inevitable," Agostino said. "Eventually streets are going to be redone, sidewalks are going to have to get redone... It's inevitable and it's happening everywhere in the city."

"It's short-term pain for long-term gain... We all have to work together and endure it, and support our businesses. Now is the time as a customer for you to step up and say, 'Hey, I'm going to order some takeout.'"

But this project will require plenty more patience and endurance from the public.

Upon completion of the current work on University Avenue West between Salter Avenue and McEwan Avenue, other sections of University Avenue West will be due for upgrade — all the way to McDougall Street in the east, and Huron Church Road in the west.

City staff have suggested it could take until 2033 before the overall improvement of University Avenue West is finished.