Staff Report #2
September 28, 2022
To All Commissioners
Re: 2022 Road Construction Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
LTC administration continues to work 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. LTC administration attends weekly conference calls with civic administration specifically to discuss the impacts of ongoing and upcoming downtown construction projects.
Downtown Loop Phase II
Construction continues on Phase II of the Downtown Loop as part of the London Rapid Transit Project.
Due to construction delays, the project is behind schedule and as such, consideration was given to additional closures to help get the schedule back on track. Effective October 4, 2022 the intersection at Queens and Talbot will be closed, while the Queens and Ridout intersection is still under construction. As buses are currently detouring onto Talbot, this will require a modification of the detour to Richmond Street. London Transit administration is working with City of London Administration and the contractors to ensure operational concerns are addressed for the detour route, noting work has started on a separate construction project at Richmond and York resulting in lane closures southbound on Richmond and westbound on York.
East London Link Phase I
Construction continues on the first phase of the East London Link of the London Rapid Transit Project. As of September 6, 2022 Ridout was reopened southbound between Dundas and York. This has allowed buses to resume operation on Ridout and shorten the detour as a result of the ongoing work at the Wellington and King intersection.
One lane of traffic northbound and southbound on Wellington continues to be maintained and as such northbound and southbound routes are able to maintain regular routing. However, as there is only one lane, stops are closed both northbound and southbound throughout the duration of the project to avoid transit vehicles stopping in the only travel lane.
Victoria Bridge
The full closure of Ridout for the Victoria Bridge replacement began on July 25, 2022. Due to material delays the project is now scheduled to continue until fall 2023. During this time, Routes 4, 6 and 104 have been detoured via Grand, Carfrae and Richmond.
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 will not be 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 summer 2025.
Communications
The underlying goals with respect to communications 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. With the significant ongoing construction in the core and related changes to detours as construction areas change, stop level notifications have been used to provide passengers information with regards to which stops are closed and direct them to the closest stop location. Recently an audit of all closed and temporary stop locations was completed in the core to ensure accurate information was in place to help passengers with wayfinding. Regular audits will continue to be completed through the remainder of the construction season.
With respect to the overall service impacts related construction and detours, a communication strategy has been developed and implemented with respect to service interruptions in an effort to ensure passengers and bus Operators are aware of the detours with as much advance notice as possible. This includes stop level notifications of upcoming closures, website and real-time/Infoweb alerts, social media and internal information boards.
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager