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One massive construction site along the Upper East Side’s Second Avenue will eventually bring the subway, but for now some local small retailers say it is killing business.

“They knocked out my power three times and a total of 20 hours of lost business and three different incidences. And also, it cost me I would say around $19,000,” says Giuseppe Pecora, co-owner of Delizia Restaurant.

Delizia Restaurant is one of roughly 40 small businesses between 91st and 96th Streets on Second Avenue which have suffered severely since the start of construction on the neighborhood’s subway line.

The Second Avenue Business Association was formed in 2007 in reaction to merchant complaints over the ongoing project, including decreased foot traffic and limited parking.

“There are nine businesses closed out of 40 that were previously present in that particular corridor of the subway construction project,” says SABA spokesperson Barbara D’Antonio. “Within the first six months of the construction process commencing, business declined between 15 and 20 percent.”

MTA officials said in a statement, "We continue to work with businesses to promote the area as open for business through the ‘Shop Second Avenue’ campaign, and despite a temporary inconvenience, a new subway line once completed will bring an unprecedented number of new customers to area businesses as well as send a ripple of economic activity."

However, local business owners say that does not address concerns like lost phone service and utility interruptions.

“Con Edison can announce that for the next 24 to 36 hours service will not be available on a particular street or on a particular corner,” says D’Antonio.

Businesses like Delizia claim their equipment was damaged as a result of the outages.

In response, a Con Edison spokesperson told NY1 the utility's own equipment was damaged by street construction, which caused the power outages.

In the meantime, SABA has lobbied the mayor's office for property tax abatements and made a plea to area residents to support local merchants by continuing to patronize their businesses.

Meanwhile, subway construction is slated to continue through 2015.

“We're going to do everything we can to not let the ball drop,” says Pecora.

NY1 asked for a comment from Skanska, the construction company working on the Second Avenue subway, but did not hear back as of Thursday.

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