Staff Report #6
September 29, 2025
To All Commissioners
Re: 2025 Road Construction and Special Events Update
Recommendation
The report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
As has been the case over the past number of years, the City of London has undertaken a large number of construction projects in 2025, a number of which are carried over from the 2024 construction period and will continue to have impacts to transit routes and schedule adherence.
London Transit administration will continue 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.
Rapid Transit Station Installation
All shelters in the downtown loop have now been installed. Work will begin in the coming weeks to have the front glass installed in the center sections at all locations. Work is also starting on the installations of stations on the East London Link Phase 3CW at Dundas and Burbrook Place.
Clark’s Bridge
Work continues on the construction on Clark’s Bridge. All northbound stops have been reopened with the traffic flip to work on the south side. The stop at Wellington and Grand southbound is closed during this phase of work.
Wellington Gateway Phase III
Work on Wellington Gateway Phase III continues between Southdale and Waterman. Bus stops in the construction zone will remain closed until the work has been completed as there is only a single travel lane in each direction. Passengers are being directed to the closest open stops noting that there are some additional impacts to stop closures as a result of the adjacent Wellington Gateway Phase IV project.
Wellington Gateway Phase IV
Construction work continues on the west side of Wellington Road. The northernmost entrance on Wellington into White Oaks Mall remains closed and will continue to be closed until this phase of construction is completed. This entrance is used by the majority of bus routes in order to be able to serve the stops on White Oaks Mall property. During the time of the entrance closure, buses are detoured to enter the White Oaks Mall property from the Bradley entrance and are able to continue to serve all of the regular stops at the mall.
While work is taking place on the west side of Wellington, Holiday Ave and Greenfield Drive are also closed. As a result, the limited-service extension on Route 13 to Wellington and Exeter has been suspended during the construction due to no turnaround options and the closure of all stops in the area. It is expected that Holiday and Greenfield will be closed for the majority of the 2025 construction season.
East London Link Phase III A
All lanes on Dundas between Egerton and McCormick opened on August 14 allowing all stops in the area to be reopened for passengers. There is still some outstanding work to be completed as part of this project including red lane painting and shelter installations.
East London Link Phase III B
Preliminary work on Phase III B (Highbury Ave bridge) started on January 13, 2025. Currently the impacts are very limited, but it is anticipated that there will be further impacts to transit and overall traffic movement in the area as work progresses.
East London Link Phase III C
Construction along Highbury between the bridge and Oxford Street is nearing completion. On September 22, the stops at Oxford and Mornington eastbound, Highbury and Oxford southbound and Highbury at the former LPH lands southbound were able to be reopened for local routes. This is a significant milestone as it significantly reduces the travel distance for passengers looking to make connections.
The remaining stops within the project limits remain closed as finishing work including line painting needs to be completed. It is anticipated all stops should be able to reopen in the coming weeks.
East London Link Phase IV
Work has commenced on the south side of Oxford between Highbury and Second Street. All traffic is operating on the north side of the road and as such stops within the construction have been closed.
Effective September 22 until October 3, Second Street is closed in all directions to allow for tie ins at the intersection. With the closure of Second Street as well as the ongoing strike at Fanshawe College, significant detours have been put in place for all routes serving Fanshawe College. Due to the nature of the detours schedule adherence is being negatively impacted.
Pond Mills Road
The MTO work has resumed with the closure of Pond Mills Road between Bradley and Wilton Grove Road while work continues on the 401 overpass. During the construction, Route 30 is again detoured. However, this year the detour is less impactful as Highbury Ave is open which reduces the detour length.
Stops along Pond Mills between Bradley and Enterprise are currently closed and are expected to remain closed until the end of the construction season this fall.
Bradley Ave
Construction on the Bradley Ave extension between Wharncliffe and White Oak Road has commenced. As part of this construction, Bradley between White Oak Road and Jalna Blvd (West Leg) will also be getting upgraded to create a four lane, complete street with sidewalks, in boulevard bike lanes, lighting, and landscaping to support all modes of transportation and development in the area. While the construction of the extension will not have impacts on transit, the work between White Oak Road and Jalna will impact the Route 28 with stop closures. It is expected that one lane of traffic will be maintained through the majority of the project; however, short-term lane closures may be necessary to complete the work in the constrained sections of the roadway. During this time, detours may need to be put in place. The entirety of the project is scheduled to be completed in fall 2026 with some restoration work taking place in spring 2027.
York Street
Work is nearing completion in the Wellington and York intersection. The intersection is scheduled to be reopened at end of day on Monday September 29. With the reopening, Routes 1, 3, 5, 7, 13 and 90 will be able to resume regular routing through this area.
Wexford Ave
Work commenced on Wexford Ave on July 28 and requires Route 35 to be detoured via Clarke to Trafalgar missing all of the stops on Wexford Ave, Royal Crescent and Castle Drive. Work is scheduled to continue until the end of 2025.
Special Events
CIBC Run for the Cure
On Sunday October 5, there will be a 1k and 5k walk/run route set up in the downtown to raise money for breast cancer, resulting in lane closures around Victoria Park and the downtown core. Stop closures along the route will be put in place for the duration of the event.
Other Impacts
Fanshawe College Labour Dispute
With the ongoing labour dispute at Fanshawe College for its support workers, all buses have been detoured off Fanshawe College property. With the unpredictability of the impacts of picket lines, London Transit does not allow buses to access private property during strike activities in an effort to mitigate the impacts on schedule adherence.
Currently, Routes 25, 27 and 36 are detoured via Fleming Drive and Farnsborough Cres with access to the College available at stop 2230 Fanshawe College at Fleming. Routes 4, 20, 91, 95 and 104 are being detoured via First, Dundas and Highbury with a temporary stop located at First and Oxford.
Route 17 had been maintaining service along Oxford Street with a temporary stop at Oxford and Third. With the closure of Oxford and Second Street (noted above) Route 17 has now been detoured via Third, Cheapside and Highbury.
While having the routes serving different locations is not ideal for transfers, with the combination of the strike and the ongoing construction along Oxford Street the set detour is the best option at this time.
Once the work at Oxford and Second is completed, the detours for all routes will be assessed to determine if there are other alternatives that allow for all routes to be located closer together for ease of transfers.
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 alerts and social media as well as through stop level notifications which provides passengers with information regarding which stops are closed and direct them to the closest stop location. On road Inspectors are completing daily audits of all stop closures and temporary stop locations to ensure detailed information is available at the stop level to assist passengers in navigating the detours.
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
David Butler, Manager, Operations Administration
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager