Staff Report #6
August 31, 2026
To All Commissioners
Re: 2026 Road Construction and Special Events Update
Recommendation
The report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
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.
Wellington Gateway Phase II A
Work on Wellington between Wilkins and Baseline began on April 21. Currently, all traffic has been shifted to the west side of Wellington. Temporary stops have been added on Wellington north of Commissioners, which has reduced the travel distance for passengers trying to access facilities at this intersection.
Wellington Gateway Phase II B
Work between Baseline and Watson is scheduled to commence by the end of August. At the time of report writing temporary stop locations have not been determined. Should temporary stops not be an option within the project limits passengers would have to walk approximately 1.41 km, noting stops are already closed in the adjacent Wellington Gateway Phase II A construction limits. Work on this phase is expected to last multiple construction seasons as a result of the complexity of the underground work to be completed.
Wellington Gateway Phase III
Finishing work continues within the limits of this project and as such stops remain closed.
Wellington Gateway Phase IV
Since the construction of the centre running lanes, Route 30 travelling northbound on Wellington is not able to make the left-hand turn into the Mall via the centre entrance. As such the detour access via the Bradley entrance will remain as the permanent routing for Route 30 until such time as the work is completed for the station on Wellington Road and all local routes move to service the Rapid Transit Station adjacent to White Oaks Mall.
Work is continuing to complete the centre running lanes and construction should begin in the coming weeks on the temporary turn around location at Holiday and Exeter.
East London Link Phase 5
Work commenced on March 16 between McCormick and Highbury for the final phase of Rapid Transit work on Dundas. This phase requires a full closure of Dundas. During this time Routes 2 and 94 are on detour on Florence/York between Highbury and Egerton.
Work east of the Highbury intersection is set to commence on August 24 resulting in an extension of the detour for Routes 2 and 94.
East London Link Phase III B
Work continues on the Highbury overpass, with a single lane in each direction being maintained across the bridge. Work has resulted in some slowdowns for Routes 10 in this area, but the impacts have been relatively minimal.
East London Link Phase III C
Paving work and outstanding line paintings in the centre running lanes are still outstanding along Highbury. With two lanes of traffic in each direction north of the bridge to Oxford, stops within the construction zone have been able to be reopened to reduce travel distance for passengers.
East London Link Phase IV
Fanshawe College Blvd was accessible to transit on August 1 allowing buses to be able to return to serving Fanshawe College without the use of the 111 Construction Tripper. While all routes are back serving Fanshawe, work continues within the terminal area including deficiencies in the platform as well as asphalt concerns. Work is nearing the final completion and service will resume once the terminal is safe and accessible.
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.
Currently expected to have a full intersection closure at White oak and Bradley intersection starting on August 31 and continuing until approximately September 11. This will result in a significant detour for Route 28.
York Street
Work commenced on March 16 to continue the York Street Infrastructure Renewal Project. Work for the 2026 construction season will be between Wellington and Colborne Street. The road will be fully closed for the duration of the project.
A full closure of the York and Colborne intersection commenced on July 1 and is scheduled to last into the fall. During this time the Route 7 detour has been modified to use William to King.
Wonderland and Springbank Intersection-
Work to rebuild the traffic signals at the Wonderland and Springbank intersection commenced on March 9. The work has been delayed and is currently anticipated to be completed by the end of August. The work requires some bus stop closures impacting Routes 5 and 10. Schedule adherence delays continue through the intersection.
Highbury Ave
Road rehabilitation on Highbury Ave between the Thames River and 401 began on April 27. Work is scheduled to last until fall 2027 with a single lane in each direction on Highbury throughout the duration of the construction work. Work will also be required on Bradley and Commissioners at the exits. This will have significant impacts on schedule adherence for routes navigating through the construction.
Boler Road
Work commenced on the Boler Road Cycling and Watermain Infrastructure improvements on June 15. Currently Boler is closed between Giffith and Byron Baseline resulting in a detour on Route 5. As work progresses, there will be a full closure of the Boler and Byron Baseline intersection which will require a much more impactful detour affecting Routes 5 and 17. The entire limits of the project stretch between Commissioners and Southdale.
Western and Phillip Aziz
Work commenced in May with the full closure of Phillip Aziz as well as lane restrictions on Western Road between Platts Lane and Burnlea Walk. As a result, Route 94 is detoured off Phillip Aziz for the duration of the construction and there are no northbound or southbound stops on Western Road throughout the limits of the construction. This results in over a 1.5 km travel distance between stops for passengers.
Fanshawe Park Road
Road work on Fanshawe Park Road commenced on August 17 between North Centre Road East and Adelaide Street. All traffic has been shifted to the north side of the road resulting in no bus stops in the eastbound direction for 2km. Some bus stops in the westbound direction are able to remain open as there are bus bays to allow the bus to pull off the travelled portion of the roadway. This work is scheduled to last until mid-September.
Special Events
Take Back the Night
The annual Take Back the Night march will be happening in late September, with a draft routing of Central Ave, Waterloo St, Dundas St, Clarence St. During the event Routes 2 and 20 will be detoured to King Street in both directions.
Further communication will be provided to customers and Operators once dates and routings have been finalized.
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, Director of Operations – Conventional
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager