Staff Report #4
October 27, 2022
To All Commissioners
Re: 2022 Road Construction and Special Events 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.
Effective October 4, 2022 the downtown detour was modified to operate along Dufferin and Richmond as a result of the closure of the Queens and Talbot Intersection. Due to operational concerns with the right hand turn off Richmond onto York, effective Monday October 24, 2022 the detour will again be modified to operate along Richmond to Horton. This detour will be in place until the Queens and Ridout intersection is reopened which is currently scheduled for mid-November. The reopening of the Queens and Ridout intersection will allow for westbound buses to resume operation along the Queens Street bridge, reducing the detour length and helping to address ongoing schedule adherence issues.
East London Link Phase I
Construction continues on the first phase of the East London Link of the London Rapid Transit Project.
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.
Masonville Mall Paving
Paving will be commencing in the parking lot at Masonville Mall on October 24, 2022 and will result in all buses that normally serve the Masonville Terminal being detoured via Jacksway, Sunnyside and North Centre Road for approximately five days. Temporary stops will be placed on North Centre to facilitate layovers and transfers.
Manhole Work
Starting on October 24 until approximately November 8, 2022 work will be happening along York, Talbot, Horton, Riverside and Wharncliffe in a number of manholes. The work will result in lane closures and in some cases (when working in intersections) will result in detours being required. As these are rolling detours, the exact date and time of work is not known for each location. The most significant impact will be the work at the Wharncliffe and Riverside intersection which will restrict left hand turns onto Riverside when travelling both northbound and southbound on Wharncliffe. This will result in detours for six routes. The work at this intersection is only for one day; however, as mentioned above dates for the work are not known at this time. London Transit will make every effort to provide advanced notice of the stop closures and detours, noting this may not be possible in all instances. Updated information will be provided on social media and on the real-time arrival page as soon as it is known.
Remembrance Day Parade and Service
On November 11, 2022 a temporary modification to the downtown detour will be put in place during the Remembrance Day Parade and service at the Cenotaph. During this time downtown routes will operate along York and Horton.
Santa Claus Parades
London will be hosting three Santa Claus Parades again this year with the first one on November 12, 2022. The parade will operate along Dundas between Kellogg Lane and Ridout and then travel along Riverside to Wharncliffe. During this time, as is past practice, northbound and southbound routes will stay north or south of Dundas respectively and passengers needing to continue travel in either direction will have to alight the bus, cross the parade route and catch another bus on the other opposite side of Dundas.
The Hyde Park Santa Claus Parade will be taking place on November 26, 2022 and the Argyle Santa Claus Parade will be taking place December 3, 2022. For both of these events the standard detour will be put in place during the parade.
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. 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