SAN DIEGO (KGTV — A construction project that was supposed to be done this summer still has a long way to go.
ABC 10News first checked in with business owners in City Heights last October, as they described their fears and frustration, nearly a year into a City of San Diego Capital Improvement Project along University Avenue.
10 months later, the owners say some of their fellow business owners are now gone, and the project continues to decimate their business.
If University Avenue had a president, Mazda Mehraz could probably win the post in a landslide. He seems to know everyone on the block. Though that list of people is getting smaller.
"These are my friends, I've been here 36 years, so every single one that goes out, it really breaks my heart," Mehraz says.
Mehraz, the owner of Dan's Smog Check Station, has worked on University Avenue long enough that he has no problem walking ABC 10News cameras into shops up and down the block. One after another, his fellow business owners described just how much the construction is deconstructing their business.
Jennifer Dainty owns burger spot Key and Cleaver on University Avenue with her husband Chris. They opened right around when the construction began.
"I've never seen the full potential of my restaurant due to the fact that people have personally told me that they do not drive University due to the construction," she said. "It's been so hard for us to run a business. Nobody walking in, nobody walking in the streets, nobody driving City Heights, nobody driving down university."
Construction on the project started in January 2023, on the opposite side of the street from Mehraz.
The City says it's making safety improvements up and down the street, including pedestrian crossings, raised medians, and three roundabouts.
But now, in August of 2024, the City says it's only 60 percent done with the work.
While the project was supposed to be done this summer, it's just getting to Mehraz's side of the street.
"Last year was the first year I lost huge business, and now this year, it's going to be double whatever I lost last year," he adds.
The city told ABC 10News in a statement that an unknown SDGE vault was found in the middle of the project, slowing it down.
But for Mehraz and the neighbors that are still left, it's time to hurry up, or scrap the rest of the project.
"It's so difficult because of this project," Chris Dainty said. "There's no end in sight for this thing."
The City of San Diego issued this statement explaining the construction delays:
"The University Avenue Complete Street Phase 1 project began construction in January 2023. The scope of the project included roadway improvements, installation of three new roundabouts, raised center medians, new street paving and installation of a new storm drain system. In March 2023, the contractor encountered an unforeseen buried structure during trenching activities for the storm drain installation. After investigation, the structure was confirmed to be an active SDGE vault. Since the vault was in the middle of the project and in conflict with the proposed storm drain and roadway improvements, the construction schedule was directly impacted. Total relocation efforts from SDG&E took approximately 15 months to complete. As a result of this delay and other weather-related impacts, the project is approximately 60% complete and is expected to be substantially completed by the end of the year. Currently, there are no plans for phase two of this project. Due to the construction delays, the Engineering & Capital Projects Department project team partnered with Council District 9 to increase community outreach by having regular project update meetings, conducting in-person walkthroughs with the impacted businesses, presenting construction updates at the City Heights Community Planning Group (CHAPC) meetings, and working with the contractor to mitigate the construction impacts on the community. Staff have also created a dedicated project webpage [sandiego.gov] for updates on the work, contracted a dedicated community liaison to connect with community members and relay their needs to staff, directed the contractor to work extra hours and adjust the work schedule to move the project forward, and created additional signage directing the public to the businesses that are open during construction. These efforts will continue throughout the rest of the project.
