LONDON, ONT. -- Non-essential construction has been put on hold under recent lockdown measures, but many essential infrastructure projects are being allowed to resume and some are currently underway across the city.

Doug MacRae, the City of London's director of Roads and Transportation, says there are some extensive projects included in the $170-million investment made by city council.

“2021 will be another big year for construction in London.”

The first phase of the downtown loop construction on King Street, to implement dedicated bus lanes is underway. The project also includes sewer separation to improve water in the Thames River.

It’s also the second year of Dundas Street renewal in the Old East Village. Londoners would have seen work on both those projects already, MacRae said.

“We are very cognizant of pandemic restrictions…Construction to ensure the safe and reliable operation of municipal infrastructure is permitted to proceed, and that is at the core of our construction projects.”

The great separation of Wharncliffe Road, north of Horton Street, is a project that is still in the design phase so it will likely not start construction until 2022. Any immediate work on the project will be preliminary sight preparation and utility relocations.

The city is also planning to reconstruct Adelaide Street from Central Avenue to McMahen Street.

This will include an underpass beneath the CP Rail tracks.

Londoners can expect to see some action there, but it is still in phase one of construction.

The city is installing a two-lane roundabout at the Hyde Park Road and Sunningdale Road West intersection to improve safety for road users.

“We are going to be conducting the projects in 2021 in the same manner, making sure health and safety of both the workers and the community are our priority. We will communicate that out and also the projects, and we look forward to another successful season.”

More details on all the projects in the city are available here.