Highbury Avenue Improvements

[jammer139]

Contract to be awarded for the widening of Highbury Ave in St Thomas. Work should begin this year.

Hydro One is already busy installing new power poles and lines along this stretch of road.

https://london.ctvnews.ca/highbury-ave-construction-to-cost-23m-in-st-thomas-1.6811836

[tyeman200]

Well, it's something.

Hopefully the two cities should go to the province and get funding for the part between the two cities.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by tyeman200

Well, it's something.

Hopefully the two cities should go to the province and get funding for the part between the two cities.

In the absence of a regional level of government for the area, this would be a good candidate for uploading to the provincial highway system. Otherwise it's a short corridor under three different jurisdictions - the City of London, County of Elgin, and City of St. Thomas. And that means potentially differing levels of maintenance (particularly in winter), and lack of coordination in standards, plus heavy use by trucks on the London section that do not originate or end in London leading to wear and tear that London taxpayers have to foot the bill for. Even if St. Thomas widens its section, it could be decades before Elgin County or London do anything with their sections, depending on priorities.

I don't see a need for the province to take back Highbury north of the 401 (the old Highway 126) though.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Really don't see London doing jack shit as it concerns anything south of Wilton Grove on Highbury in terms of widening or improving the road. London has delayed and deferred rehabilitating the section of Highbury from the Thames river to the 401, I would see them advocating for provincial dollars going into that before they would advocate for provincial money to go to widen a road to support another municipality.

Province seems to be putting all of its eggs into the extension and widening of Highway 3 to Highway 4 on the west side of St Thomas, don't seem them pouring even more money in upgrading another route to the same development.

I certainly wish Highbury would be upgraded but just don't see it in the current financial situation with municipal or provincial governments are in.

[jammer139]

St Thomas portion of Highbury widening is scheduled to start next week and be mostly completed by end of year.



https://london.ctvnews.ca/twinning-of-highbury-avenue-for-vw-plant-starts-monday-1.6851815

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

Really don't see London doing jack shit as it concerns anything south of Wilton Grove on Highbury in terms of widening or improving the road. London has delayed and deferred rehabilitating the section of Highbury from the Thames river to the 401, I would see them advocating for provincial dollars going into that before they would advocate for provincial money to go to widen a road to support another municipality.

That is literally the story of London. No foresight, too afraid to do what needs to be done with regards to transportation and infrastructure. VMP should be made a full fledge freeway with interchanges all the way to north London.

[jammer139]

Lots of progress on the northbound side of Highbury Ave rebuild in St Thomas with work from Ron McNeil south to South Edgeware Rd.

[haljackey]

Also a traffic note- if you want to access 401 EB heading south out of the city on Highbury, you're SOL. The 401 EB exit to Highbury is also frequently closed. It's causing some bigger backups than I expect so I suggest using an another interchange for 401 access.

[Djeffery]

I suggest looking at your favourite traffic map app on your phone before even deciding to get on the 401 EB at London. Even at the weirdest times that you wouldn't expect. A couple weekends ago I was leaving London at 1030pm and there were long stretches of red on the map heading east from about Nilestown to past Ingersoll.

[CanadianTalk]

A new sidewalk and northbound cycling path will be installed on the east side of Highbury from Kilally to the Thames River Bridge. The west side of Highbury already has had a sidewalk and bike path for the last couple decades.

https://pub-london.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=111384

This is great to see. You'll know that the east side is currently a gravel shoulder and there has definitely been an increase in people walking on that side within the last 5 or so years due to all the new development on that side off Edgevalley

[jammer139]

Lots of progress on the rebuilt Highbury Ave south of Ron McNeil in St Thomas.

https://cdnsm5-hosted.civiclive.com/User...024-013%20Construction%20Update%2022.pdf

[CanadianTalk]

Here is a great recent video showing the progress on the Highbury Ave widening + extension in St Thomas.

If you jump to 2:19, there is flyover footage which starts at Ron McNeil Line and heads south to South Edgeware.

• Video Link

[jammer139]

The Highbury Ave widening in St Thomas has opened up. Likely final touch-ups and landscaping in the spring.

Up next should see the start of the Highway 3 widening and extension project in 2025 with the engineering work being put out for tender.

https://london.ctvnews.ca/traffic-flowing-again-in-major-artery-from-london-to-st-thomas-1.7148228

[ericmacm]

Really good to see this wrapping up and hopefully we see the Highway 3 work start in 2025. Crazy how fast things can move when the government wants it to.

[CanadianTalk]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

Really good to see this wrapping up and hopefully we see the Highway 3 work start in 2025. Crazy how fast things can move when the government wants it to.

Yeah I was thinking a similar thing when I went to St Thomas over the weekend about how insanely fast this whole project has moved. The environmental assessment study started in early 2023, the detailed design got finalized in late 2023, and construction started in early 2024, and now construction is pretty much done (aside from some minor finishing touches).

Much faster than any project in London in recent years.

[K85]

thank VW for that plant

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by K85

thank VW for that plant

Had to go back and check when that plant was announced and surprised to see it's only been since early 2023. Amazing that St Thomas has managed to do this road project in that time. If it was London, they would still be arguing over whether anything needs to be done at all.

[jammer139]

MTO has been making progress on the Highbury Ave 401 overpass bridge widening work with heavy equipment and piling machine prepping the wider bridge abutments on the west side of the current overpass.

[jammer139]

MTO has made progress on the new wider Highbury Ave 401 overpass bridge abutments with concrete pours on the west side. Getting closer to seeing heavy lift cranes being brought in to lift new I-Beams to be installed.

https://www.hwy401highbury.ca/construction.html

[jammer139]

New I-beams have started to be installed on the west side of the Highbury-401 overpass for the widening.