Staff Report #10
October 27, 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. The northbound stop at Wellington and Grand has 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 and the northbound stop at Wellington and McClary also remains closed.
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, 2025 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, 2025 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.
Currently the lane configuration on Oxford Street does not allow for eastbound buses to be able to serve the terminal and then turn left onto Oxford from the First Street exit. As such, Routes 17 (eastbound only), 25, 27 and 36 have had to be detoured. They are currently using Cheapside, Farnsborough, Flemming and Fanshawe College Blvd for the detour. This is not optimal as it results in long travel distances for anyone looking to transfer. Administration continues to work with the City of London, the contractor and Fanshawe College to come up with a solution during this phase of the construction. The current configuration is set to be in place until the end of November.
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.
Work is scheduled to be completed on November 4, 2025.
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.
Wexford Ave
Work commenced on Wexford Ave on July 28, 2025 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
Remembrance Day Parade
The Remembrance Day parade will commence at the Delta Armouries on November 11, 2025 and travel to the Cenotaph via Dundas, Waterloo and Dufferin. Route 1 will be detoured during both the parade and ceremony at the Cenotaph.
London Santa Claus Parade
The London Santa Claus Parade will take place on Saturday November 15, 2025 at 6pm with the route travelling along Dundas between Ontario and Ridout. Traditional Santa Claus parade detours will be in place during the event with northbound and southbound routes being turned before reaching Dundas. As a result passengers continuing their travel north or south of the parade route will have to disembark one bus, cross the parade route and then board another bus on the other side.
CPKC Holiday Train
The holiday train is scheduled to be in London on Friday November 21, 2025 at 8:30pm. During this time Richmond will be blocked at the tracks at Piccadilly. All routes in the area will be detoured for the duration of the event.
Hyde Park Santa Claus Parade
The Hyde Park Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for Saturday November 22, 2025 starting at 10 am. The parade route will travel along Gainsborough starting at Sherwood Forest Mall and finishing just west of Hyde Park. Routes 9, 19 and 31 will be on detour for the duration of the event.
Argyle Santa Claus Parade
The Argyle Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for Saturday December 6, 2025 starting at 11 am. The parade route will follow Dundas between Parsons and Hale Street. Routes serving Argyle Mall will be detoured during this time.
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