The Dunedin City Council said the wastewater overflow in Surrey St was a known problem area and ongoing infrastructure renewals would address the issue.
Auto Repair Otago owner Jayson Carmichael said the road remained closed for a third successive day yesterday.
It was at least the third time the 75m stretch in front of his business had been closed for this reason this year.
It had been closed ahead of any flooding and without notice to his business.
Staff were ignoring the road closure and customers were inconvenienced.
The mess showed the council did not have its priorities in order, Mr Carmichael said.
"They could definitely spend money better than they do," he said.
"Fix problems instead of spending it on other s... ."
A council spokesman said that stretch of road was a known problem area as it was the location of a major junction in the city’s wastewater network.
The council was aware of "some wastewater overflows in isolated parts of the city", including Surrey St, caused by the large volumes of water through city networks during the recent storm.
"Fortunately, these were isolated incidents, largely contained to streets, and overall our infrastructure held up well," the spokesman said.
