Staff Report #5
April 28, 2021
To All Commissioners
Re: 2021 Road Construction Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
LTC administration has been working 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.
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, 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.
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 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
Rehabilitation construction resumed on the Wenige Expressway Bridge on Highbury between Hamilton Road and the south branch of the Thames River on Monday March 15, 2021. To date there has been minimal impact on schedule adherence for Route 10 due to decreased traffic volumes. Administration will continue to monitor the impact the construction is having on Route 10 and make adjustments as required.
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 Monday 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
As of Friday April 23, 2021, construction began on Pond Mills Road between Scenic and Cleveland. As a result of other construction taking place in the area, detour options for Route 1A were very limited and has resulted in no service along Pond Mills between Thompson and Commissioners. Route 1A will follow the 1B routing along King Edward for the entirety of the construction. The detour results in an average walk distance to a bus stop for passengers along Pond Mills of approximately 800 meters.
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