On the Eglinton Way, 2013 was supposed to end with a bang — or at least the sound of construction. But ongoing delays to building the new Metrolinx light rail transit (LRT) have left local businesses unsure of how to prepare for the coming upheaval to roads, sidewalks and parking spots on the busy retail strip between Avenue Road and Bathurst Street.

Although preliminary roadwork and construction on headwalls was scheduled to begin at Chaplain Crescent in December, sudden changes, including transferring the tunneling contract to a different construction firm, have delayed building and left local businesses guessing.

Monique Drepaul, co-ordinator of the Eglinton Way Business Improvement Association (BIA), said that local business owners had been in productive negotiations with the initial firm, and she was shocked to learn that the city had hired a different company so close to when construction was scheduled to begin.

Maureen Sirois, chair of the BIA and owner of Eva Accessories, said her main concern is ensuring that it continues to be as convenient as possible for residents to shop on the strip, in spite of lane and sidewalk closures at major intersections.

“We’re working to improve signage so people know what is here and what is open, and we’re trying to find solutions for parking,” she said, “but renovations are never simple, and it’s really up to residents to decide if they want to go through the hard times with us.”

Jamie Robinson, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, said the company is working to accommodate business owners’ concerns, and they are looking into loosening parking restrictions on Eglinton Avenue West side streets during construction. But Sirois said that Metrolinx has not done enough and that the BIA is considering “all options” for voicing their concerns in the future.

“What many people don’t understand is that three to four months is a long time in the life of a shop or a restaurant,” she said. “It’s up to our neighbours to continue to patronize the shops on Eglinton.”