Salt Bar and Restaurant co-owner Alex Aerakis said the joke he wrote on the board outside his business which reads: "I had a joke about the construction but I’m still working on it" was "tongue-in-cheek".
The joked referred to a section of the Esplanade being dug up to lay sewerage and gas pipes to an apartment development along the seafront. The work was originally expected to be finished on August 11 but has been delayed and is now expected to go beyond its revised finish time of yesterday.
Mr Aerakis said despite the delay, the building project would be great for the area once finished.
"I’m all for it — it’s been a bit niggly but it is what it is."
Naylor Love project manager Jason Graham said the reason the road remained closed yesterday was because one contractor had completed its work a day later than expected on Wednesday.
Workers were laying paving stones yesterday and were planning to get the road reopened on Thursday, he said.
"They are finding the pavers are not going back as easily as they came out."
The construction of the apartment was expected to be completed by mid-October.
