The Victoria Street bridge, a major artery connecting Guelph and Kitchener, will be shut down at the end of this month.

The entire bridge over the expressway is set to be replaced to accommodate a new Highway 7 to Guelph.

Traffic on Victoria will be diverted to Fredrick Street and Bingeman Centre Drive, which is now the new Shirley Avenue and Wellington Street off ramp.

The closure will not only affect drivers, but local businesses are concerned as well.

Paul Connelly, the owner of Natural Sound, says they're now left looking for ways to keep customers coming back, despite the construction.

“You have to ride it out you have to create sales or whatever events get people to the stores,” he says.

Jennifer Scheel, a manager at Factory Shoe, says they are hoping to do more business online. 

“If they don't want to come here they can obviously just get onto their computer and order their shoes," she says.

The bridge closure will begin on January 29th and it's expected to be shut down until November.

With reporting by Tyler Calver