Staff Report #4
May 26, 2021
To All Commissioners
Re: 2021 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 I
Construction began on the first phase of the Downtown Loop for the London Rapid Transit project on April 5, 2021. Phase I includes King Street between Ridout and Wellington, which will be broken down into smaller sub-phases throughout the 2021 construction season. Buses have been detoured to York Street between Ridout and Wellington for the duration of the construction season. Phase 1B of construction on King is set to commence in the coming weeks.
Kensington Bridge
Construction began on April 5, 2021 to implement a cycle lane on the Kensington Bridge to Ridout Street. A single lane of traffic has been maintained and is anticipated to be maintained throughout the construction period, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. At this time buses are not required to detour and delays have been minimal. The stop at Dundas and Ridout eastbound was closed on May 5, 2021 due to work in the area and is anticipated to remain closed until the completion of the construction.
Old East Village Phase II
On Monday March 15, 2021, construction resumed on Dundas between Adelaide and English. This is a continuation of the work completed in 2020 for the reconstruction of Dundas in Old East Village, including the implementation of a cycle track. Routes 2, 20 and 94 will continue to be detoured to King and Queens throughout the construction season. London Transit Administration will continue to work with civic administration to determine if existing bus stops along Dundas will need to be relocated once construction is completed.
Highbury South – Wenige Expressway Bridge Rehabilitation
Work continues on the Wenige Expressway Bridge rehabilitation on Highbury between Hamilton Road and the south branch of the Thames River. To date there has been limited impact on schedule adherence for Route 10; however, effective May 27 to May 30, 2021 Highbury will be closed to allow for the concrete to cure. During this time Route 10 buses will be detoured via Commissioners to Hamilton Road. While the detour will ensure that all stops along Route 10 continue to be served it does add additional travel time to the route, which may result in schedule delays during the closure.
Brydges – Egerton to Muir
Construction has begun on Brydges between Egerton and Muir Street for the installation of new sewers and cycle lanes. While there is no transit service on this section of Brydges, the construction has resulted in modifications to the in and out of garage routings for many routes operating out of the Highbury Facility.
Colborne – Oxford to Dufferin
Construction of Cycle lanes on Colborne between Oxford and Dufferin began on April 12, 2021 resulting in Route 1 being detoured to Waterloo and Maitland. It is anticipated that construction will continue until December 2021.
Pond Mills – Scenic to Cleveland
Construction on Pond Mills Road is scheduled to be completed on May 21, 2021. At time of writing no updates had been provided with regard to whether the scheduled completion date will be met. Route 1A will remain on detour, following the 1B routing along King Edward, until construction is completed.
Valetta – Adevon to Hyde Park
Construction is scheduled to commence on May 31, 2021 along Valetta. While the construction is only between Adevon and Hyde Park, due to limited detour options through the neighbourhood that are operationally feasible for transit, Route 19 will be detoured off Valetta between Wonderland and Hyde Park. During the construction, Route 19 will operate along Riverside Drive. The construction is currently scheduled to be completed in early December. Advance notification signage of the upcoming construction and resulting detour have been installed on all bus stops along Valetta.
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.
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, including stop level notifications of upcoming closures, website and real-time/Infoweb alerts, social media and internal information boards.
Recommended by:
Shawn Wilson, Director of Operations
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager