Staff Report #6
October 25, 2023
To All Commissioners
Re: 2023 Road Construction and Special Events Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
As has been the case over the past number of years, the City of London has undertaken a large number of construction projects during the 2023 construction season, many of which have impacts to transit routes and schedule adherence.
Administration works closely with civic administration as well as the specific contractors on each major construction project to ensure regular communication regarding the status of the projects in an effort to mitigate the impact of construction on service and ridership by allowing buses to operate in work zones where it is deemed safe to do so.
East London Link Phase II
East London Link Phase II involves construction on King between Lyle and Ontario St., Ontario St. between King and Dundas and Dundas between Ontario St. and Egerton. Construction began on March 13 with the main impact to transit being the full closure of Dundas between Ontario and Egerton, resulting in the need to detour Routes 2, 20 and 94.
Routes 2 & 94 normally operating on Dundas have been detoured to Florence/York between Kellogg Lane and William in both directions. Route 20 has been detoured to York Florence in the eastbound direction and Dufferin to English in the westbound direction since the reopening of Quebec Street. As a result of other planned construction in the area during the 2023 construction season as well as operational turning impacts, the detour extends past the limits of the construction zone.
The construction is anticipated to be completed in late December 2023.
Downtown Loop Phase III
Phase III of the Downtown Loop, Wellington between York and Queens Ave began construction in early April. Construction work is divided into phases with one lane of traffic being maintained northbound and southbound throughout the duration.
As there is only a single lane in each direction, all transit stops within the construction zone are closed. In an effort to reduce impacts on schedule adherence as well as provide transit stops between York and Queens, buses normally travelling north and south on Wellington will be detoured to Waterloo.
Additionally, with the lane shifts that is required for the construction, it is not operationally feasible for buses travelling eastbound on King to turn onto Wellington and as such, these routes are also detoured to Waterloo.
Construction is anticipated to continue until the end of December, with work continuing into the 2024 construction season
Wellington Gateway I
Construction on the first phase of the Wellington Gateway Rapid Transit Leg commenced in mid-March, with work taking place between York and the Thames River (north of Grand). As Wellington only has a single vehicle lane in each direction within the limits of the construction work, all northbound and southbound stops in this area are closed for the duration of the project.
Routes 13 and 90 are detoured via Grand, Carfrae/Richmond to maintain schedule adherence and provide stop locations for passengers. Route 1 will maintain regular routing along Wellington in order to continue to access to South Street, Grey Street, and Colborne, noting that there will not be stops on Wellington for Route 1 during construction.
Construction is anticipated to continue until the end of December with work continuing into the 2024 construction season
Victoria Bridge
Work continues on the Victoria Bridge reconstruction, with a full closure of Ridout Street. Routes 4, 15 and 104 continue to detour via Grand, Carfrae/Richmond. With additional construction delays, work is now anticipated to be completed in Spring 2024.
Adelaide Street North Underpass
Construction began on the Adelaide Street underpass on April 21, 2022. The temporary by-pass road was opened on September 14, 2022, providing a single lane of traffic on Adelaide between Central and McMahen Street through McMahen Park. As there is only a single lane of traffic, temporary bus stops have not been implemented on the temporary by-pass road. Passengers have been directed to catch the bus at the closest stops north and south of the construction area.
The work is currently scheduled to continue through to summer 2025.
Pond Mills Road- Bradley to Wilton Grove
Construction on Pond Mills Road between Bradley and Wilton Grove started on Monday May 29 and is anticipated to continue until approximately mid to late November. In addition, the on ramp at Bradley and Highbury is closed until Wednesday November 22 resulting in very limited detour options in this area for the Route 30. In order to maintain service to as much of the Industrial area as possible during this construction period the detour is operating along Bradley, Old Victoria Road to Wilton Grove. There will not be transit service along Pond Mills or Enterprise west of Midpark during this time. As this is a commuter route to service the Wilton Grove Industrial Area, information has been sent to affected business in the area to advise of potential schedule adherence delays as a result of the detour.
Exeter at White Oak Road
Work was to have commenced in mid to late July at the intersection of Exeter and White Oak Road. The work is now scheduled to commence in late November; however, at time of report writing exact dates have yet to be confirmed. When the work does commence, it is anticipated to last approximately one week. There will be significant impacts to the Route 28, which will not be able to provide transit service along Exeter between Wharncliffe and White Oak Road, impacting the commercial-industrial area. Due to the limited road network as well as ongoing work on White Oak Road between Exeter and Blakie, there are very limited detour options and as such buses will have to be detoured via Wharncliffe, Legendary, Paulpeel, Bateman, White Oaks Road.
Oxford Street Lane Restrictions
Due to multiple projects happening along Oxford, there will be a number of lane restrictions which will have impacts to routes operating along the corridor. Lane restrictions will be happening at Beaverbrook, Mud Creek, Gower, Platt’s Lane and Quebec until approximately mid-November and will have impacts on Routes 4, 17, 20, 91 and 104, with Routes 17 and 91 being impacted by all of the projects. Communication has gone out to advise passengers to allow themselves extra travel time as a result of schedule adherence delays.
Santa Claus Parades
London Santa Claus Parade
The Annual London Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for Saturday November 18 starting at 6pm. Due to ongoing construction along Dundas, the regular parade routing is not possible for this year. Through coordination with the City and consideration given to impacts to transit as well as other construction in the area, the parade route for 2023 will Stage along Quebec and operate along Queens, Waterloo, Dufferin, Clarence and Dundas. While this will have impacts to current detours in Old East Village and Downtown, the impacts are significantly less than the alternative of having the parade operate along York.
Hyde Park Santa Claus Parade
The Hyde Park Santa Claus parade is scheduled for Saturday November 28 at 10am. The parade routing will operate along Gainsborough Road resulting in the Routes 9, 19 and 31 being detoured. This is the standard parade detour for the Hyde Park parade.
Argyle Santa Claus Parade
The Argyle Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for Saturday December 2 at 11am operating along Dundas between Saskatoon and Parsons. Routes 2, 7 & 17 will be on detour during the parade along the standard Argyle Parade detour.
Communications
The underlying goals with respect to communication regarding detours are to provide passengers and Operators with as much information as far in advance as possible, noting that dates and impacts can change without notice. Accomplishing both of these goals requires a balanced approach. A communication strategy has been developed which, as noted above, includes posting information on internal boards, the website, real-time/Infoweb alerts and social media as well as through stop level notifications which will provide passengers with information regarding which stops are closed and direct them to the closest stop location. On board announcements also indicate to passengers when a bus is starting along a detour routing and when the bus has returned back to regular route.
Recommended by:
Shawn Wilson, Director of Operations
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager