Londoners have been waiting for this moment for years.
The long-awaited underpass on Adelaide Street opened it’s first two lanes to traffic Friday morning.
The southbound lane was the first to open, with vehicles passing underneath a CP train on the tracks overhead. Northbound traffic followed soon after.
A sidewalk for pedestrians and cyclists on the west side of the road has also been opened.
According to the report from city staff that originally recommended the project, over 25,000 vehicles a day use Adelaide Street, with an average of 20 train delays a day.
Jennie Dann, London’s director of construction and infrastructure services, says this project has been a long-time coming.
“It’ll remove rail crossings, help reduce cut through traffic to the neighbourhood. We’re also including multi-use pads that will be able to improve active transportation connection,” Dann said. “Whether you walk, bike, drive, or take transit, this is going to be an improvement for Londoners.”
The $87.6 million project began construction in 2022. The original budget was set at $58.3 million, but had to be increased by $29.3 million due to supply disruptions and labour shortages brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project received $11.1 million in federal and provincial funding, as well as $8.75 million from the Canadian Pacific Railway. The rest was covered by the city.
While Friday’s opening was a huge milestone, the project still has a long way to go, according to Dann.
“It was necessary for us to do this traffic flip so that we can now work to decommission the temporary bypass road, start putting together the park, and all the amenity features,” Dann said. “We have a lot of streetscaping and landscaping work to do and finishing those active transportation connections, so, we’re still far from complete.”
Alma Oud lives in the neighbourhood and was the first pedestrian to use the new sidewalk, along with her dog.
“I’ve watched this thing being built over the last three, four years and walk the dog every day in this neighbourhood,” Oud said. “When I found out yesterday that it (opened) 10 o’clock, I thought ‘right, we’re going to time our walk for 10 o’clock.’”
Oud says that while she’ll still have to deal with the train on the street where she lives, the underpass will make a big difference in the area.
“We now have this wonderful option of just coming two blocks this way, you don’t have to wait for a 20-minute train anymore.”
The other two lanes are expected to be open later this summer, with full completion of the project set for August 2025.
Dann says that while train stoppages on Adelaide Street are a thing of the past, drivers still need to have caution while driving through the area.
“We are still reduced to one lane in charge of traffic in each direction, so plan ahead, respect the limit, make sure you’re driving safely through the construction zone.”
More information about the project can be found on the City of London website.
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