The City of London is planning to reconstruct Adelaide Street from Central Avenue to McMahen Street in 2021 and 2022.

The project, which is one of the biggest and more complex in the city in some time, aims to alleviate traffic along the road near Central Avenue where trains cross.

Details of the project, including funding options, are becoming clearer as the city aims to sign a deal with Canadian Pacific Railway to get construction started.

Scope of work focuses on a CP Rail bridge

The scope of work includes an underpass beneath the CP Rail tracks, nearby intersection improvements and active transportation connections with wide multi-use paths added on both sides of the roadway.

A new street design aims to improve safety, reduce traffic back-ups due to trains and improve access to transit. It is being designed to improve route reliability, efficiency and safety for everyone crossing the railway.

On an average day, trains block traffic along Adelaide Street North for about 100 minutes. The blockage not only disrupts residents, but also raises serious concerns about the ability of emergency vehicles and public transit to move along the road.

This project will demolish a gas station at 595 Adelaide Street, relocate utilities, replace existing underground infrastructure, install a new pump station for storm water runoff, and realign the CP Rail tracks.

As a result of the work, the city expects the project will increase the safety and efficiency of the Adelaide Street and Central Avenue intersection, ease congestion and eliminate vehicle idling.

Funding available from governments and CP

The total project cost is estimated at about $58.3 million, and funding for the work has been promised by the federal and provincial governments. In separate announcements in the summer of 2019, both governments committed a combined $226 million for a suite of transit projects in London. The Adelaide Street project was earmarked to receive about $15 million of that funding.

CP Rail, for its part, has also said it will shoulder its share of the financial burden. The company has agreed to pay just shy of $9 million for the work.

Staging the work

Staging the project is complicated and involved. It involves numerous property acquisitions, utility relocations and approvals. The constrained nature of the site provides further challenges for both design and construction.

To accommodate the work, the city plans to build a temporary construction road detour on the east side of Adelaide Street North to allow traffic to flow smoothly during construction. That project should be completed before the end of this year. Work on the CP bridge should start next year.

The city expects construction to last for two years with an additional one-year warranty period to follow.

“The majority of the underpass construction can be completed while traffic is routed around the construction area utilizing the temporary road detour,” says a staff report to council.

Next steps for the project include a public-engagement meeting on April 21, which will be followed by a two-week period for commentary.