N.Y. RegionSubway Work On 2nd Avenue Hobbles Stores

The noise, dust, barricades and occasional explosions associated with construction of the long-awaited Second Avenue subway are driving away customers from businesses along the avenue and plunging many shops and restaurants into deep financial trouble, two dozen merchants said.
"New Yorkers don't go out of their way more than a block and a half for service, so if you make it impossible, they retreat to another location," said Faith Hope Consolo, Chairwoman of Retail Leasing and Sales at Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate.