It will come as no surprise to anyone who regularly drives in London, but 2023 was a record breaking year for road work in the city with some projects set to continue through the winter months.
The construction that reduced lanes and closed many roads for months at a time throughout the year added new bus-only lanes for rapid transit, a new two-lane roundabout, intersection improvements, enhancements to bike lanes, and the installation of new traffic signals, lighting and other streetscape elements.
"All this work was necessary to continuing to support growth and development in our city," said Jennie Dann, the city's director of construction and infrastructure services. "We want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation while all these projects were underway – from businesses and residents directly impacted, and daily commuters to the crews on site working through all kinds of weather to complete these projects as efficiently as possible."
Projects that were completed or will be wrapping up soon include the following:
The installation of a new two-lane roundabout at the Southdale Road West and Colonel Talbot Road intersection. It was completed in November, more than three weeks ahead of schedule. The $9 million overhaul was done to improve safety and traffic flow at the intersection, the city said.
The lift of two new steel arches for the Victoria Bridge. It was one of the largest lifts performed in Ontario in 2023 and required a 650-tonne crawler crane. Hundreds of Londoners came out to watch the lift. Completion and reopening of the bridge is expected by late spring.
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.
Improvements were also made to Quebec Street, Dingman Drive, and the intersection of Richmond Street and Fanshawe Park Road.
While road work normally takes a break for the winter, that isn't the case this year. There are three projects that will continue to slow or reroute drivers in the city. They are the Adelaide Street North Underpass project, Phase 3 of the rapid transit downtown loop, and the rebuild of the Victoria Bridge.
Looking ahead to 2024, city officials have named four projects that will be the focus of the Renew Construction Program. They are as follows:
Fanshawe Park Road and Richmond Street Intersection Improvements – Phase 2 (Fanshawe Park Road between both legs of North Centre Road)
Clark’s Bridge Widening (Wellington Road from just north of the Thames River to Watson Street)
East London Link Phase 3 (Dundas Street and Highbury Avenue)
Sunningdale Road and Richmond Street Intersection Improvements
Additional details about the 2024 construction season will be released in the spring, the city added.
