Staff Report #7
February 28, 2024
To All Commissioners
Re: 2024 Road Construction Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
As has been the case over the past number of years, the City of London will be undertaking a large number of construction projects during the 2024 construction season, many of which will have impacts to transit routes and schedule adherence.
London Transit administration will 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.
Due to the magnitude of work planned for the 2024 construction season, specifically related to the continuation of the Rapid Transit project, construction work along East London Link and Wellington Gateway will again be starting earlier than the traditional construction season. Details on the impacts to transit service for early start and carry-over projects are set out below. Full details of all anticipated construction in 2024 will be provided in a future Staff Report.
Downtown Loop Phase III
Phase III of the Downtown Loop, Wellington between York and Queens, began construction in mid-March 2023. With the ongoing lane channeling not only limiting the ability to have stops along Wellington, but also impacting the operational ability for buses to turn off King onto Wellington, all routes operating along Wellington and King between York and Queens have been detoured since the start of construction.
Work will continue on this portion of the Downtown Loop as part of the 2024 construction season and is scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
Wellington Gateway I
Construction on the first phase of the Wellington Gateway Rapid Transit Leg commenced in mid-March 2023, with work taking place between York and the Thames River (north of Grand). With Wellington being limited to a single lane in each direction, buses cannot stop within the construction zone to allow passengers to board or alight the bus. As such, Routes 13 and 90 have been detoured via Grand, Carfrae/Richmond in order to maintain schedule adherence and provide stop locations for passengers.
Route 1 will maintained regular routing along Wellington in order to continue to access South Street, Grey Street, and Colborne, noting that there are no stops on Wellington for Route 1 during construction.
Construction was temporarily suspended over the winter; however, to provide consistency for passengers and to continue to have bus stop locations, all routes remained on detour throughout the winter months.
Construction is set to resume in the coming weeks with an anticipated completion date of November 2024. The existing detours will remain in place throughout 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. The updated completion date is currently scheduled for July 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 summer 2025.
East London Link Phase 3C
London Transit was informed that construction would commence the week of February 20, 2024 for the third phase of the East London Link. The construction limits will be along Highbury between Dundas and Oxford. As such, affected stops were closed on February 20, 2024. At time of report writing, the construction has not yet commenced however the stops have remained closed in an effort to avoid customer confusion.
Construction will be completed in phases with each phase having a different impact on transit. Due to the limited options for detours, Route 10 will remain operating along Highbury for the duration of the construction. As the work progresses, different stop closures will be required along Highbury as well as at the Dundas and Oxford intersections which will impact transfers with east/west routes.
To help passengers understand the stop closures and transfer locations during each phase of the construction, a table explaining which stops within the construction zone are open or closed has been added as well as information with regard to where to get off the bus and where to board for major transfer connections has been posted on the London Transit website.
Platts Lane
Construction on Platts Lane between Cherryhill Place and Trott Drive commenced on February 12, 2024. Work is scheduled to be completed by March 1, 2024. During this time the Community Bus Route 55 as well as Routes 9 and 33 are being detoured via Western/Wharncliffe.
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 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.
Recommended by:
Shawn Wilson, Director of Operations
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager