ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The city of St. Augustine says there have been some problems along the way with downtown construction on Hypolita Street that has slowed down progress.
Among the problems was the collapse of a historic structure at 62 Spanish Street last week near the corner of Hypolita Street.
"Of course difficulties with installation with that was the unknowns along this street," said project engineer Reuben Franklin Jr. "Because of how old the street is, a lot of conflicts arose."
Work on Hypolita Street is expected to be finished in time for the Nov. 22 Nights of Lights kickoff.
The first phase of work on Hypolita Street from the Bayfront to George Street will be done and ready for pedestrians by Friday.
"Every construction project -- this is no different -- has an impact on businesses," Franklin said. "The city recognizes that, and we are trying the best we can to get this street looking beautiful."
Business owners like Ray Dominey say they have lost a lot of customers -- 40-50 percent of sales each month.
"With the loss of the trolleys coming through -- trolleys bring a lot of people through this street every week, and we don't see those anymore," said Dominey, of Get Your Photos on Campus.
Luckily, Dominey is getting by, but he's ready for the project to be over.
"We are lucky we had a single customer with a very large order, and that's got us through the last few months," Dominey said. "Without that, I don't think we could have made it."
The project costs more than $3.3 million. About $750,000 is being paid by adjacent property owners and can be paid over 15 years.
The total project will upgrade Hypolita, Spanish and Treasury streets. The completion date is now moved back a month to May 21 because of the slowdowns.