Staff Report #7
October 19, 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 east 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 Bond and Thomas Jane Drive. Currently all stops within the construction limits are closed in both directions. While a temporary stop will be located near Emery, which will reduce the travel distance to bus stops, timing of implementation is not known at this time. The current travel distance is further compounded by adjacent projects south of these limits which have also required a number of stops to be closed.
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 White Oaks Mall bus stop locations are relocated and Route 30 can utilize the signalized intersection from Wellington between White Oaks Mall and Marks Work Warehouse.
Work is continuing to complete the centre running lanes, with station installation expected to be completed in the Spring.
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.
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 and 95 in this area, but the impacts have been relatively minimal.
East London Link Phase III C
Paving work and 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
All routes resumed service at the Fanshawe College Terminal on September 6, in advance of classes starting at the campus. Work does continue along Oxford Street between Highbury and Second Street with stops closed within the construction limits.
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.
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.
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.
In the current phase of construction, the northbound ramps at Commissioners are currently closed. As such Route 10 has been detoured via Commissioners, Jackson, Bradley to Highbury. While the detour adds a significant amount of time to the route and is resulting in buses being behind schedule, no stops are missed with the detour. This phase is scheduled to last until the end of the construction season.
Boler Road
Work commenced on the Boler Road Cycling and Watermain Infrastructure improvements on June 15. Work o Boler between Griffith and Byron Baseline is not completed, and Route 5 is back on regular routing. Road closures on Boler between Byron Baseline and Commissioners are scheduled to commence on October 13, resulting in both Routes 5 and 17A being detoured. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
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. As work on Western Road is nearing completion, all but two stops within the construction zone have been able to be reopened. This has had a very positive impact to limit the travel distance for passengers to be able to access the stops.
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. Traffic is scheduled to be flipped within the next week, which will impact the current westbound stops that are currently able to remain open, resulting in no stops in either the eastbound or westbound direction for approximately 2km.
Pond Mills Road
Work on Pond Mills between Oldham and Deveron is nearing completion with Routes 10 and 16 having been able to resume regular routing on October 9. The remainder of the project includes work on Deveron Cres. Work on the east side of Deveron is expected to commence on October 16 and last for approximately two weeks. During this time Route 16 will be detoured via Banbury.
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