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Disruptive Elgin Street construction has led popular bar Hooley’s to officially close its doors, says its owner.

Majority owner Dale Hill, 52, said he has countless happy memories at Hooley’s but a loss of approximately 40 per cent of his clientele made his business no longer financially viable. The bar’s last day was Tuesday.

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“You have to have pretty deep pockets to carry a losing business another year,” he said. “You can’t control stuff that’s going on outside your doors.”

Hill blamed the loss of business on the Elgin Street renewal, a $36.3-million road, sewer and water construction project that has had the entire street closed to vehicles since the beginning of 2019.

“Right now, with Elgin Street, Ubers couldn’t even get there,” he said.

Carina Duclos, manager of design and construction for the City of Ottawa, said in an email she recognizes the inconvenience of the construction and is trying to work with the businesses on Elgin Street.