Wharncliffe Road South Improvements

The City of London is planning improvements for Wharncliffe Road South from north of the Thames River to Springbank Drive. One northbound travel lane will be added on Wharncliffe Road South between Horton Street and Becher Street.

The City also will rehabilitate the Wharncliffe Road Bridge across the Thames River, including enhancements to pathway connections for active transportation with wider sidewalks. Although the corridor is not currently considered a bike route in the Cycling Master Plan, the bridge design has consideration for future cycling lanes.

The current road bottleneck at the CN Rail Bridge creates safety and operational concerns for all road users, and results in traffic in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The location

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The Wharncliffe Road Project limits. For more information, please contact Jiten Patel at jpatel@london.ca or by calling 519-661-2489 x 5013

The work

  • Demolition of buildings within the project limits
  • Reconfiguring the streets and sidewalks to be safer and more efficient for all road users
  • Replacing the aging CN Rail Bridge
  • Rehabilitation of the Wharncliffe Road Bridge across the Thames River including wider side walks for pedestrian traffic
  • Replacing and upgrading utilities and aging sewers.
Heritage dwelling located at 100 Stanley Street

One of the properties impacted by the Wharncliffe Road South Improvements project is a heritage dwelling located at 100 Stanley Street. After an extensive period of consultation through the project’s Environmental Assessment, the preliminary mitigation solution in the 2018 report was to relocate the dwelling.

On March 23, 2021, Council directed that the City take the necessary actions to permit the demolition of the heritage dwelling at 100 Stanley Street, rather than relocate it. Council also directed that any other necessary administrative steps be taken to advance the Project in as timely a manner as possible.

The City is currently preparing a plan to proceed with demolition, as per Council direction. Additional information about next steps will be shared with the community and updated on this webpage.

The benefits

  • Congestion and the collision history in this area have long been concerning and are expected to worsen as the City continues to grow. By reconfiguring the roadway, sidewalks and boulevards, this project will improve safety for all road users.
  • Active transportation will be improved with wider sidewalks.
  • Improvements to the intersection of Wharncliffe Road S and Horton Street will improve pedestrian safety and the crossing experience.
  • The current bottleneck at the CN Rail Bridge results in traffic infiltrating and cutting through surrounding neighbourhoods in this area. The improvements, including adding left turn lanes, will lead to less traffic cutting through the adjacent neighbourhoods
  • As the north-south arterial route, with these improvements, Wharncliffe Road will provide efficient connections to rapid transit on Wellington Road.
  • New public open space and improved streetscapes will bring attention to the Thames River and enhance identity in this area.
  • New utility infrastructure will eliminate disruptive maintenance repairs over time.

 

Project Timeline

Current: Demolition

Demolition began in Fall 2020 and is ongoing.

Current: Utility Relocation and advance works

Utility relocation began in Fall 2020 and is ongoing.

Advance construction works are underway and will continue through late 2024 in preparation for the project. Major Construction activities are tentatively plan to begin in 2025, subject to approvals.

Upcoming: Construction is scheduled to begin on the full road improvements project in 2025, subject to approvals

Major construction activities are anticipated to begin in 2025, subject to approvals.

Last modified:Wednesday, March 20, 2024