Record year for road construction ending but some projects to continue through winter
The busiest year for road construction ever is about to end, but colder temperatures will bring no reprieve for London drivers navigating around three mega-projects.
Work performed in 2023 included new bus-only lanes for the rapid transit project, a two-lane roundabout, intersection improvements, bike lane enhancements and other streetscape elements.
It probably comes as little surprise to drivers that 2023 was London’s busiest year for road construction ever — and city engineers say next year could top it.
“We are probably going to see another record year for construction next year,” said Director of Construction and Infrastructure Jennie Dann. “A lot of our rapid transit projects are starting to move out of the core, so it will feel a bit lighter around [the downtown core], but we still have some infrastructure planned around the edges.”
Among the major roadwork scheduled in 2024:
- The second phase of intersection improvements at Richmond Street and Fanshawe Park Road
- Widening Clarks Bridge on Wellington Road for rapid transit
- Extending rapid transit lanes along Dundas Street East and Highbury Avenue
- Intersection improvements at Sunningdale Road and Richmond Street
The arrival of freezing temperatures usually offers drivers a break from detours and lane reductions, but this winter work will continue on three of the biggest commuting headaches.
- Adelaide Street North Underpass
- Downtown Loop phase three (Wellington Street from King Street to Queens Avenue)
- Victoria Bridge
“We do try to get things buttoned up before the winter break and come back in the spring, but with some of the weather we’ve been seeing, we have an opportunity to push through, weather dependent,” explained Dann.
Some construction projects wrapping up in the coming days may still require finish work and a final layer of asphalt next year.
According to city hall, the milestones reached this year include:
- A two-lane roundabout was built to reconfigure the Southdale Road West and Colonel Talbot Road intersection, allowing the road to reopen more than three weeks ahead of schedule
- The steel arches for the Victoria Bridge were lifted in place marking a successful operation for the reconstruction of the Victoria Bridge. The new concrete deck has been poured advancing the construction work for the project, which is planned for substantial completion and reopening of the area by late spring of 2024
- Major excavation and road building for the Adelaide Underpass began this year and will continue over the winter months, aiming for substantial completion by summer of 2024
- The first 1.4 kilometers of rapid transit lanes were painted red on both sides of King Street between Downtown and Old East Village in preparation for future transit operations
- In neighbourhoods across the city, 40 local streets were reconstructed under the Infrastructure Renewal and Local Roads Reconstruction programs, upgrading infrastructure and improving our roads and sewers for Londoners
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
A passing comet could shine as bright as Venus. Here are the best viewing times
This eye-catching celestial event is around the corner and will appear in the skies this fall.
Pipeline explosion near Houston erupts in a towering flame, forcing evacuations
A pipeline explosion near Houston erupted in a towering flame over neighbourhoods for hours on Monday, forcing evacuations and shelter orders and melting playground equipment as firefighters struggled to keep nearby homes from burning.
'We don't have much time': Parliament's fall sitting begins with plenty of political posturing
The fall sitting of Parliament began Monday with plenty of political posturing given the new minority dynamics and the threat of an early general election looming overhead.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont. woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun, says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.