New Canaan Businesses Blast Elm Street Construction

On a recent Monday morning, Christy Ryan—the manager of Sara Campbell on Elm Street—faced a dilemma.

"It's a beautiful day, I could open the door," she said. "But it's so loud outside."

Directly outside the boutique's door, workers with Connecticut Light and Power were drilling and hammering as part of an ongoing electrical construction project on New Canaan's main drag. Workers are mending wires beneath the street, near the Park Street intersection.

Ryan said the busiess—a satellite shop of a Boston-based clothing store—had seen only one customer between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon.

"It's a big time problem," she said. "Everyday it's a different truck."

"It [was] an issue all summer," she added. "People just don't come in."

Pauline Dora, owner of Design Solutions, said work crews were also outside her store for two or three weeks in October. She said their presence definitely has had a negative impact on her business.

“Why they didn’t do everything at one time is beyond me,” Dora told Patch. “The only thing that’s good is they don’t work Saturday and Sunday.”

Dora said the crews never come in to talk and give her updates on the progress of the work.

“Why can’t they park their trucks in the alley,” she said. “God forbid the guys walk 10 feet.”

Work is expected to be wrapped up in three weeks, Dora said.