2011 Road Construction Projects

[Kokkei Mizu]

Looked at the City of London's website today for Road Construction. They have the 2011 projects listed now. I have shared the most major projects below, but here is a link to all of them: http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Road_Construction/default.htm

Also I don't know if any of these projects include widening.

Byron Baseline Road: Wickerson - Westdel
Colonel Talbot Road: Longwoods - Lambeth Walk
Commissioners Rd E: Sections near Pond Mills Rd.
Dingman Dr: 401 to Wonderland (this has already been completed, but maybe they need to put on a second coat of asphalt?)
Dundas Street: Wellington - Colborne
First Street: Dundas - Oxford
Highbury Ave N: Oxford - Huron
Horton Street: Richmond - Wellington
Oxford Street W: Westdel Borne to Kilworth Bridge (including sorely needed intersection improvements at Westdel Bourne)
Quebec Street: Dundas - CPR overpass
Sarnia Road: Beaverbrook - 100m east of Alderbrook (CPR overpass?)
Veteran's Memorial Parkway: Northbound lanes from Gore - Oxford

[manny_santos]

Looked at the City of London's website today for Road Construction. They have the 2011 projects listed now. I have shared the most major projects below, but here is a link to all of them: http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Road_Construction/default.htm

Also I don't know if any of these projects include widening.

Byron Baseline Road: Wickerson - Westdel
Colonel Talbot Road: Longwoods - Lambeth Walk
Commissioners Rd E: Sections near Pond Mills Rd.
Dingman Dr: 401 to Wonderland (this has already been completed, but maybe they need to put on a second coat of asphalt?)
Dundas Street: Wellington - Colborne
First Street: Dundas - Oxford
Highbury Ave N: Oxford - Huron
Horton Street: Richmond - Wellington
Oxford Street W: Westdel Borne to Kilworth Bridge (including sorely needed intersection improvements at Westdel Bourne)
Quebec Street: Dundas - CPR overpass
Sarnia Road: Beaverbrook - 100m east of Alderbrook (CPR overpass?)
Veteran's Memorial Parkway: Northbound lanes from Gore - Oxford

Most of these I would imagine are re-paving projects, although Sarnia Road is definitely the CPR overpass and widening of the approaches.

Glad to see Horton on the list. That road is in dire need of re-paving. Also noticed Western Road on the list between Sarnia Road and Huron College, that's badly needed too.

[MolsonExport]

Also noticed Western Road on the list between Sarnia Road and Huron College, that's badly needed too.


There is no more room for potholes on this strech, unless you place them within potholes.

Partly due to World-clAss IVEY construction

[Pimpmasterdac]

It's quite unfortunate looks like this year there won't be any capacity upgrades.

Looking at the capital budget, Southdale won't be widened to Wonderland until 2013, Commissioners is now pushed back to 2015 due to the city choosing voluntary land exchange rather than just expropriating land like they ought to do! Sarnia Road widening is delayed while they continue to wrangle with the residents that want idiotic left turn lanes so close to each other. Just seems common sense doesn't factor into road decisions.

At least Western Roads being redone terrible road right by Sarnia, seems as though engineering was testing artillery on the road! They need a longer turning lane too, 5-6 pm the right turn lanes backed up all the way to Brescia it, doesn't help the stream of students walking.

[haljackey]

There is no more room for potholes on this strech, unless you place them within potholes.

Partly due to World-clAss IVEY construction

Quoted for truth. Western Road between Sarnia and Lambton is without a doubt the most pothole-infested section of road in the city.

It's quite unfortunate looks like this year there won't be any capacity upgrades.

Looking at the capital budget, Southdale won't be widened to Wonderland until 2013, Commissioners is now pushed back to 2015 due to the city choosing voluntary land exchange rather than just expropriating land like they ought to do! Sarnia Road widening is delayed while they continue to wrangle with the residents that want idiotic left turn lanes so close to each other. Just seems common sense doesn't factor into road decisions.

Yeah it looks like most of the funding this year is going to replacing the Sarnia Road overpass. It's embarrassing as a planning student seeing what's there now. Something should have been done years if not decades ago.

Are you sure about Commissioners widening being delayed? Where did you see that one?

Either way I think Southdale needs widening before Commissioners anyway, and if Commissioners is pushed back, Southdale should be done when Commissioners was supposed to get done.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Yeah it looks like most of the funding this year is going to replacing the Sarnia Road overpass. It's embarrassing as a planning student seeing what's there now. Something should have been done years if not decades ago.

Are you sure about Commissioners widening being delayed? Where did you see that one?

Either way I think Southdale needs widening before Commissioners anyway, and if Commissioners is pushed back, Southdale should be done when Commissioners was supposed to get done.

Southdale is truly atrocious to drive along with all its potholes, slow moving buses that don't have bus bays to stop it, and the lack of even right turn lanes to add to the general shittiness of the overloaded road. This should have been done years ago, let alone 2 years from now!

Personally I would like Commissioners done as its has fewer lights than Southdale so its quicker for travelling and closer to downtown. My issue is that the city is pussyfooting around land expropriation, and I know specifically a property in question a house that has a stable of horses near Wonderland. The city needs to step up, say tough shit we've been planning this expansion for at least 25 years, here's you cheque and that's that. Voluntary land sales will just keep pushing this back indefinitely. It was suppose to have happened in the 1990s, then early 2000s, then late 2000s, then 2012, now 2015. Make a date and stick to it!

It also doesn't help that all the mother hens and weak kneed people complained enough that Viscount & Andover are now "traffic calmed" with narrower roads and traffic islands. They ought to have waited until these expansions happened, then done these "traffic calming" measures. Now we have even worse capacity, at slower speeds. Lack of common sense!

Here the revised list of capital budget for road projects:

• Commissioners Road Widening from Wonderland to Viscount ($10.9 million) – project scheduled for completion in 2015
• Fanshawe Road East Widening – Phase 2 Adelaide to Highbury ($15.2 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2016
• Hyde Park Road Widening – Phase 1 Oxford to Sarnia Road ($10.3 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2014
• Hyde Park Road Widening – Phase 2 Sarnia to North of Gainsborough ($10.9 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2015
• Huron Street Widening – Adelaide to Vesta ($12.8 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2020
• Bradley Avenue Widening – Phase 1 Dearness Drive to Pond Mills ($20.4 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2017
• Wellington Road Widening – Phase 1 Commissioners to Southdale ($7.6 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2015
• Wellington Road Widening – Phase 2 Southdale to Bradley ($5.6 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2016
• Southdale Road Widening – Wonderland to Wharncliffe ($8.2 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2013
• Southdale Road Widening – Wellington to Pond Mills ($21.1 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2019
• Western Road Widening – Platts Lane to Oxford ($16.2 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2020
• Oxford St Widening – Sanatorium to Hyde Park ($13.0 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2013
• Hyde Park Road Widening – Phase 1 Gainsborough to Fanshawe ($8.9 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2016
• Old Victoria from Hamilton to Hwy 401 ($9.1 million) - project scheduled for completion in 2016
• Commissioners Road Improvement ($5.3 million) – project to realign Commissioners Rd at “Snake Hill” (beyond 2020)

http://www.london.ca/budget/Budget_2011/2011%20Tax%20Supported%20Draft%20Budget/2011%20Capital%20Budget/2011%20Capital%20Budget%20Highlights.pdf

[haljackey]

:previous:

Awesome, thanks for the link. Looks like the city pushed back widening Commissioners just recently.

There's just one thing missing... Where's the Bradley Avenue link in all this or the VMP extension to Clarke?

Or are new roads in a different stat since they are different from road widening/realignments?

[Pimpmasterdac]

Anytime:cool:

That's just a list of the MAJOR projects that are upcoming or the date of which is revised. The full detailed list is Here (http://www.london.ca/budget/Budget_2011/2011%20Tax%20Supported%20Draft%20Budget/2011%20Capital%20Budget/Growth%20Capital.pdf)

Bradley extension is missing from documents I've seen, but it has to be imminent with the new lights for Bradley @ Wonderland. But knowing the snails pace this city operates at Southdale will prolly be 4 lanes by that time.

The VMP extension to Clarke is not scheduled to beyond 2021! Then at some point in the next 52 years after that will be a full freeway. Pathetic..

[MrSlippery519]

There's just one thing missing... Where's the Bradley Avenue link in all this or the VMP extension to Clarke?

Or are new roads in a different stat since they are different from road widening/realignments?

This is the one I was going to ask about...when is Bradley Ave link to Wonderland going to happen?

The traffic lights are already up so you would think it's going to happen sooner than later however with this city you never know.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Sarnia bridge closing to traffic

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/03/21/17700276.html

Out with the old, in with the new.

After more than a century of carrying cars, pedestrians and, in its earlier days, buggies over the CP Rail tracks, the Sarnia Road bridge is officially closing to traffic between Wonderland Rd. and Hyde Park Rd. on Monday at 7 p.m.
...
---

About time they finally got going on a new bridge, there shoulda been a new bridge decades ago! The thing I don't get is what out city panders to these "heritage activists" by trying to preserve the bridge? Its a piece of 19th century junk that should be used as firewood, not have $150,000 to "preserve it for future generations". Like people 20 years from now are gonna come from far and wide to see this pathetic excuse of a bridge.

Anyways good that there finally getting on this, hopefully they'll make Sarnia Rd. 4 lanes soon all the way to Hyde Park, traffic won't suck as much in the Northwest end!

[ForestryW]

About time they finally got going on a new bridge, there shoulda been a new bridge decades ago! The thing I don't get is what out city panders to these "heritage activists" by trying to preserve the bridge? Its a piece of 19th century junk that should be used as firewood, not have $150,000 to "preserve it for future generations". Like people 20 years from now are gonna come from far and wide to see this pathetic excuse of a bridge.

Some people put a lot of value in built heritage. Obviously it should have been replaced years ago but that doesn't mean the structure shouldn't be preserved, be it in situ or in a museum or wherever.

[new age]

We could spend $150 000 once and save a bridge that may not be very spectacular, but says more about our respect for the care of things made in the past that brought us to where we are today. Or we could spend $180 000 every year on a golf course that goes under used.

A city with blinders on will never go in a better direction.

[MrSlippery519]

Sarnia bridge closing to traffic

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/03/21/17700276.html

Out with the old, in with the new.

After more than a century of carrying cars, pedestrians and, in its earlier days, buggies over the CP Rail tracks, the Sarnia Road bridge is officially closing to traffic between Wonderland Rd. and Hyde Park Rd. on Monday at 7 p.m.
...
---

About time they finally got going on a new bridge, there shoulda been a new bridge decades ago! The thing I don't get is what out city panders to these "heritage activists" by trying to preserve the bridge? Its a piece of 19th century junk that should be used as firewood, not have $150,000 to "preserve it for future generations". Like people 20 years from now are gonna come from far and wide to see this pathetic excuse of a bridge.

Anyways good that there finally getting on this, hopefully they'll make Sarnia Rd. 4 lanes soon all the way to Hyde Park, traffic won't suck as much in the Northwest end!

About time this is happening!

In regards to the "preservation" aspect, if that is such a big deal why not just keep the existing crossing as pedestrian only and build the new 4 lane bridge beside it and re-route the road slightly? I personally could care less, while it's old...it's hardly like a 100+ year old building.

[manny_santos]

About time this is happening!

In regards to the "preservation" aspect, if that is such a big deal why not just keep the existing crossing as pedestrian only and build the new 4 lane bridge beside it and re-route the road slightly? I personally could care less, while it's old...it's hardly like a 100+ year old building.

There was not enough right-of-way available to build the new bridge without having to move the existing bridge. Doing that would've cost a lot more money, and CP likely would not have gone for it since they want right-of-way to add a second track or at least a siding in the area.

[go_leafs_go02]

yeah - that bridge needs to go. It has no value, there's still countless bridges remaining like that all over the place. Not exactly the same, but yeah.

Glad to see it's finally going, and a modern 4 lane bridge with bike lanes and sidewalks will replace it.

Any maps of the alignment? Is Sarnia simply going to go straight across with no curves like how the old bridge. I mean the road will be angled to cross the tracks, not the former 90 degree bridge alignment relative to the railroad.

[ForestryW]

----------

[ForestryW]

yeah - that bridge needs to go. It has no value, there's still countless bridges remaining like that all over the place. Not exactly the same, but yeah.

Glad to see it's finally going, and a modern 4 lane bridge with bike lanes and sidewalks will replace it.

Any maps of the alignment? Is Sarnia simply going to go straight across with no curves like how the old bridge. I mean the road will be angled to cross the tracks, not the former 90 degree bridge alignment relative to the railroad.

http://london.ca/Transportation/PDFs/SarniaRdEA_Preferred_Preliminary_Design_Ultimate_Corridor_Design.pdf

[Pimpmasterdac]

I'm not against preserving the bridge per se. If these heritage activists think the bridge is such an important part of history let them fundraise and find $150,000 to keep the bridge. Not like the city would lose any money donating the bridge.

It's just these activists are always making a big to do about saving historical properties, then let them pay for! But they never seem to want to pay rather its always the taxpayer has to pay for their sentimental feelings. Instead the bridge will be stored while someone thinks of a pratical use for it.

I think having a giant bonfire with that overrated firewood would cost much less than $150,000, and the metal trusses could go to good use in a red bin at Zubicks plus get the city some extra $$$!
/rant

Anyways its good construction will start now. Hopefully the city can get into gear and upgrade the rest of Sarnia to 4 lanes soon!

[manny_santos]

I remember when Sarnia Road wasn't even paved between the bridge and Wonderland Road. That was less than 20 years ago too.

[MolsonExport]

from gravel to lack of thru road. things are getting worse for the so called deer-ridge area. I had originally considered buying there, but with the now 5th time that damned bridge is closed to traffic, I would be mighty pissed off. So i went to the land of liver&onions instead.

[manny_santos]

from gravel to lack of thru road. things are getting worse for the so called deer-ridge area. I had originally considered buying there, but with the now 5th time that damned bridge is closed to traffic, I would be mighty pissed off. So i went to the land of liver&onions instead.

Yum yum yum!

[Kokkei Mizu]

So I noticed London updated their Road Construction section with separate pages for the major construction projects this year (Dundas in Downtown, Horton Street, and Sarnia Rd Overpass). They will have photo updates throughout the summer...

http://london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Road_Construction/default.htm

[MolsonExport]

Bottleneck city in my part of town (Liver & Onions Park). First Sarnia road redevelopment/bridge (closed), and now Western Road redevelopment.

[haljackey]

Bottleneck city in my part of town (Liver & Onions Park). First Sarnia road redevelopment/bridge (closed), and now Western Road redevelopment.

Ah the two seasons of Canada: winter and construction.

I'm just happy something is finally being done with Western's pot-hole alley.

Just wait until Dundas is ripped up later this month. Looks like the city has a separate section for that project.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Horton is pretty bad right now too. The lanes are old narrow one's to begin with, let alone the artillery size potholes on it, and druppy armed inhabitants along that area.

As well the underpass at Richmond is suppose to be redone or something, same shitty design as the Wellington one!

While these things need to be done, its a shame the City keeps putting off major road expansion. They honestly seem to have a counter logical method of road construction. Lets shut down major arteries, not expand their capacity, and put traffic calming measures, roadblocks and other assorted shit barriers on the side streets to make traffic move to a crawl.

[joeymac]

roads that bother me right now:
Bradley Extension.. where is it??
Wonderland and Wharncliffe intersection - why is there no left turn lane? No matter how many times they work on that road they never add a left turn lane.
Commissioners bottleneck from Wonderland to Viscount.

:shrug:

[Wharn]

Someday, maybe in 5 years or maybe in 20 years, Windermere and Gainsborough will be linked to form the "missing link" in the city's northwest. But for now they have pretty solid list of tasks to accomplish; it almost seems as if the city is getting its act together. That VMP expressway project needs to get rolling though. Living in Toronto for the summer and commuting from the city limits to Eglinton Avenue, I can see first-hand that arterials are not enough to serve larger cities. We bitch and complain about the backups along Western Road in the morning but it's nothing compared to the hour it takes to go 14 kilometres.

London should be smarter and get the infrastructure in place before it's too late.

[Simpseatles]

London should be smarter and get the infrastructure in place before it's too late.

That's the understatement of the Century!:haha:

[MolsonExport]

Someday, maybe in 5 years or maybe in 20 years, Windermere and Gainsborough will be linked to form the "missing link" in the city's northwest.

from my commuter standpoint, this would be the greatest thing to ever happen to Liver&Onions Park. although, I really enjoy the nature area at the western/eastern ends of Gainsborough/Windermere, respectively.

[Wharn]

from my commuter standpoint, this would be the greatest thing to ever happen to Liver&Onions Park. although, I really enjoy the nature area at the western/eastern ends of Gainsborough/Windermere, respectively.

Again using Toronto as an example, roads easily cross river valleys without disrupting the natural environment too much. A bridge does not take up a lot of space, and in many cases it is narrower than the road allowance itself. Even Cummer Avenue, a collector similar to Windermere (except with a lower speed limit, the same level of traffic and even crappier signalling), has a crossing over a pretty significant river valley:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=cummer+avenue&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cummer+Ave,+Toronto,+Ontario&ll=43.79585,-79.380322&spn=0.000499,0.001206&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=43.79585,-79.380322&panoid=ySKjaMhj6e0GplrdBeRgRQ&cbp=12,236.15,,0,-4.76

That being said, building a road through a river valley is destructive, which is why it would not be a good idea to link Windermere and Killaly. Too much of the park would be taken up by a right-of-way.

[Pimpmasterdac]

I know it's been said that Western Road is under construction, but its truly horrendous right now!

I was at UWO dropping off books at the library, Western |Road was lined up all the way from Sarnia to Windemere this afternoon, traffic moving to a crawl! Luckily I was heading North so I didn't get caught in that traffic quagmire.

Horton im sure will be an equal hell when construction starts soon on that!

[MolsonExport]

4 times a day do I get to experience the horror of Sarnia/Western. To daycare for my kids. Then work. Then daycare again. Then home. I hate that intersection with every whole-grain fiber of my soul.

[haljackey]

I hate that intersection with every whole-grain fiber of my soul.

It's absolutely horrible. Too bad it's just a resurfacing project going on right now... would love to see the Sarnia/Western intersection reconstructed.

[MolsonExport]

Twice, my car (at the time, very new 2010 Odyssey) was rear-ended on Western Road at the goddamn Sarnia lights. Twice...in 3 weeks.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Ouch MolsonEx. Can't say I'm surprised though, with the many great UWO driver's going down there like its a freeway.

It really is one of the worst intersections in the city, both as a pedestrian & driver. As a pedestrian you take you life in your hands crossing, since driver's get over anxious trying to turn right. Pedestrians constantly cross here, there's no lull in them crossing. This causes there to always an endless stream of cars turning right from Western Road going south, which backs up & holds the straight lane and creates gridlock.

I lived in Saugeen in 2007, they still had an underground pedestrian tunnel to stop this from happening. Maybe UWO or the City should build something like this to help traffic flow better. Otherwise people will continue to wait, just on nicer roads :D

[MolsonExport]

^I remember the saugeen tunnel (at Elgin) well. Joined UWO in 2005.

[Wharn]

Twice, my car (at the time, very new 2010 Odyssey) was rear-ended on Western Road at the goddamn Sarnia lights. Twice...in 3 weeks.

I actually remember an Odyssey in an accident at that intersection when I was trying to get to class. May have been you for all I know :D

Though rare, I've been held up all the way to Windermere because of problems at Western and Sarnia.

It's absolutely horrible. Too bad it's just a resurfacing project going on right now... would love to see the Sarnia/Western intersection reconstructed.

You're telling me that you want "Good-Enough City" to do something other than patchwork on a problem that needs a serious solution? :haha:

[jaradthescot]

I don't know how the city of London feels about roundabouts, but perhaps that would be a solution there? Especially if there was a pedestrian tunnel like some of you have suggested.

[MolsonExport]

^I suspect that neither UWO nor the city want to pick up the tab for the cost of the tunnel. Hell, they bickered for years over who was responsible for resurfacing costs of Western Road (hence the many years of neglect).

[Pimpmasterdac]

It could be done but considering construction is ongoing, its unfortunately too late now.

I think London still needs to move in baby steps without roundabouts, the Hale-Trafalgar is a single lane. Sarina & Western Rds, that would be a 2-3 lane roundabout, which would confuse/scare drivers.

Another good solution would be to widen Philip Aziz Road (what Sarnia turns into @ Western), but they still allow the private home to stand there, and the new Rec centre is right next to the Road. I suspect many those that turn are from UWO but hate waiting at Philip Aziz Road when going through Campus.