A Big Bump in the Road for Businesses

First they blocked off the street in front of his shop. Then they dug up the sidewalk outside his door.

But the really bad news for shopkeeper Ali Golbad is that workers are less than halfway finished with what city officials are calling the largest surface street reconstruction ever undertaken in Los Angeles.

The $68-million West Los Angeles widening and realignment effort involves a 2 1/2-mile section of Santa Monica Boulevard. Work crews are excavating hillsides, relocating underground utilities, removing a onetime Pacific Electric Red Car right-of-way median strip and combining what generations of commuters have called “Big Santa Monica” with a frontage road known as “Little Santa Monica.”

But merchants in the construction zone say the upheaval is killing their businesses. Desperate shopkeepers are struggling to stay afloat by taking out loans, sticking advertising signs on street barricades and pleading with nearby homeowners to let customers park in restricted residential zones along the construction area.

Days at a time can go by between visitors at Golbad’s tiny City Copy and Printing shop at 10927 Santa Monica Blvd. And he faces another year of the dust and disruption -- provided he can hang on that long.

Officials say unexpected engineering problems and this winter’s unusually wet weather have knocked the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway project seven months behind schedule. They say more rain will only make things worse.

“I don’t know how much longer I can last. I have a huge problem paying my rent,” said Golbad, who has operated his 800-square-foot shop for 30 years. “My business is down 75%. Often there are days when nobody comes in. And I’m not the only one. All the businesses here are hurting.”

About 500 shops and storefronts line the boulevard between Century City and the San Diego Freeway where construction began in March 2003.

The new parkway will feature five lanes in each direction. Billboards and the unsightly dirt median have been removed and new landscaping is planned.

The project is a partnership of the city, Los Angeles County and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. State and federal transportation funds are helping finance the construction, which is being coordinated by the city.

Tonya Durrell, a city Department of Public Works staff member who is the project’s community relations manager, said recent rains caused $1.2 million in damage to temporary boulevard pavement and construction trenches. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds are being sought to cover the repair costs.

But problems with the design of a large retaining wall at the Century City end of the project and the discovery of “unknown and unanticipated underground utilities” in the construction zone project are primarily to blame for pushing the project behind schedule.

“We’re about 45% completed. We’re looking at March 2006 completion. There are people who are frustrated and we can understand that,” Durrell said. “This is the largest street-improvement project ever undertaken by the city of L.A. It will be a very rewarding parkway when it’s done.”

The city has waived some municipal sign restrictions to allow the use of “we’re open” signs along the construction zone and uses mailings, a telephone hotline and automated message signs to keep merchants and shoppers alike informed of project workers’ schedules, Durrell said. About 70 construction workers are involved in the project.

Some merchants wonder if that’s enough.

“They seem to work one or two days and then take two weeks off. If they wanted to work at it they could finish it off very fast,” said John Amirieh, who has placed his small beauty supply shop, J&S; Beauty Palace, up for sale because of the drop-off in business.

“My feeling is they don’t have the manpower to finish in a timely manner.”

Neighboring businessman Hamid Shekarchian agreed. Business at his 10-year-old Mailboxes, Box & Shop store in a small boulevard strip mall is off by half.

“It doesn’t look like they’re working that hard. They’re taking their time,” complained Shekarchian. “Some of us won’t survive. I’m hanging in by putting money in out of my own pocket. It’s a disaster.”

Near the middle of the small shopping center, shopkeeper Eddie Hakimi said he is close to losing his 21-year-old Master Copy & Printing shop, where he said business is off about 65%.

“I’ve gotten five or six ‘three-day notices to quit’ from my landlord when I was late paying rent. I had to let my full-time pressman go. I’m living from minute to minute.”

At the nearby Ristorante Positano, only two of owner/chef Angela Battarra’s 15 tables were occupied during lunchtime. “I’d have closed six months ago if my parents hadn’t loaned me $40,000. I can only hold out another couple of months,” she said.

City officials said some merchants have been able to successfully work with officials to minimize the disruption.

Durrell cited Clementine, a bakery-cafe at the eastern end of the construction zone, as one of them.

Annie Miler, owner of Clementine, said City Councilman Jack Weiss’ staff helped expedite temporary suspension of the neighborhood permit-parking zone along Ensley Street after residents signed petitions that she and operators of the Sugar Plum stationery store prepared.

“For the most part people were sympathetic. We brought cookies to give them and that helped,” Miler said. “Business has dipped a little. But we’re continuing to be quite busy.”

Back at his copy and banner shop, where he also offers fingerprinting, notary services, passport photos and shirt and cap printing, Golbad and next-door merchant Carlos Verduzco shook their heads at their empty shops. Verduzco, a tailor, said his 10-year-old shop has lost half of its clientele.

Golbad said project administrators took pity on him earlier this year, hiring him to make small reproductions of poster-size pictures depicting before-and-after views of the boulevard. Even that gesture went poorly.

“I did the job Jan. 2 and I still haven’t been paid. They owe me about $300,” he said last week.

On Monday, however, things seemed to be improving for Golbad. The city issued his check. And a work crew showed up to finally pour a concrete sidewalk outside his shop’s doorway.

Golbad said those are but tiny steps in the right direction.

“They say they’re doing us a favor, that we’d be very happy and see a big improvement with the street when they finish,” he said.

“But will we be around to see it?”