Fifth Avenue won't reopen to traffic this month after all

Pollay said she doesn't have a firm estimate for when the road will reopen, as the remaining work involves waterproofing, which is temperature- and moisture-sensitive.

"But a great deal of work is moving forward every day, including pouring concrete walls, installing the electric system and lighting and more," she said.

Many downtown businesses — especially Jerusalem Garden and Earthen Jar, which are located on the closed section of Fifth — have been waiting anxiously for the street to reopen. The street has been closed to traffic since September 2010.

Owners of both restaurants have spoken out before the Ann Arbor City Council, saying they've been hurt because of the construction. They also said they think they deserve some form of compensation from the city or the DDA.

Mayor John Hieftje said in July he wasn't sure what more the city could do for the businesses, but he noted Fifth Avenue was expected at that time to reopen by Dec. 31.

Pollay later indicated in November the DDA was aiming to open the street sometime in January.

The DDA is funding the $50 million underground parking structure, which will be owned by the city. Remaining work on the project is expected to continue into the spring.

DDA officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off the project in September 2009, though it was some months later before major work was under way.

The deck is expected to include somewhere around 700 parking spaces. It originally was expected to open in August 2011. But by late 2010, due to a delayed start, project officials said it wouldn't be finished until December 2011 or January 2012.

The project manager for contractor Christman Co. offered an update on the timeline last July, saying the project would be finished in spring 2012. The latest estimate from DDA officials is that the garage will be open in time for the Ann Arbor Art Fair in July.