Yellowknife (Sep 22/06) - The pavement is dark, new, and smooth. The major reconstruction of 49th Street by Centre Square Mall is finished.

However, the merchants whose businesses flank the street were not impressed with the makeover process.

Troy Hayward, a mall employee, stands on the new pavement on 49th Street outside Centre Square Mall. He says the construction "killed" business. - Erika Sherk/NNSL photo

"It actually shook stuff off the shelves," said store manager Justine Foote.

"It smelled and it was really loud," said Kyle Farquhar, sales associate at The Source. "It vibrated the walls and floor."

Beyond the inconvenience, the construction had more serious consequences. Customers avoided the street and sales were down, according to merchants.

"It killed us. It was really slow," said Troy Hayward, manager of Headgear, a sports store with a large window facing the street.

"There was no parking, the sidewalks were ripped out completely," he said.

"One person drove around for 20 minutes looking for parking, came in to buy a hat and got a $20 ticket when they went back to their car."

Foote agreed that customers stayed away. "Huge sales loss," she said.

Dennis Kefalas, manager of public works for the city of Yellowknife, said that the construction went as planned and the majority of it was finished early.

"We cut it down by three weeks," he said of the construction process.

"People at Centre Square Mall have very little idea of how long it takes to reconstruct a road."

He said the work done on 49th Street was a typical road reconstruction, extending from 50th to 52nd Avenues.

The street was closed to traffic from late July to early September. The city widened the sidewalks to make them more "pedestrian friendly" and added tree boxes to beautify the street, he said.

A little bit of concrete work remains at the mall, but it should be finished shortly.

"Next year we'll install benches and maybe a kiosk for tourists," Kefalas said.

As fall approaches, summer construction is swiftly winding down.

When surveying the changes to 49th Street. merchants had mixed feelings.

"It doesn't look good," said Farquhar. "It's just like someone was in a rush and slapped on asphalt."

However, Hayward said he thought the street was all right. "It just took too long."