Rip it up
TRAFFIC WOES: London is poised to launch the biggest roadwork season in its history
Wonderland Rd. and Gainsborough Rd. facing north. Wonderland will be widened.
The mother of all construction seasons in London has begun with a record $150 million to be spent on road-related work alone.
Orange traffic cones, not purple crocuses, will signal the approaching spring, one certain to fray the patience of drivers even though few would question the long-term benefit of improving roads and the sewers and water mains beneath them.
This year city hall staff have produced what they hope will help motorists find alternatives and avoid traffic jams, an interactive website that allows drivers to click on any road project and see exactly where it is --
www.london.ca/construction. "The public should be urged to go to the website," city roads director Dave Leckie said Wednesday.
Here's the breakdown of the planned spending, some of which comes from government economic stimulus funding:
$100 million-plus to repave and widen streets and rehabilitate bridges.
$30 million to replace and reline sewers.
$19 to replace and line water mains.
There will be 100 projects in all and one of the biggest has already begun -- the building of a railway overpass at Hale and Trafalgar streets that will have the city's first roundabout, an effort whose costs this year alone are expected to reach $13 million.
There have been other years with nearly as much road-related work, but 2010 tops them all, Leckie said.
While some motorists may get frustrated by delays, they should find far fewer potholes, Leckie said. "I'm looking forward to (that)."
As for road delays, city staff say they're doing what they can to make it better than it would be otherwise. Among the efforts:
Leckie put off the planned repaving of Wavell St. to next year because it'll be in heavier use with the closing of the Hale-Trafalgar crossing.
Road, sewer and water work will be co-ordinated so that roads are only disrupted once.
When water mains are worked on in isolation, crews will typically install liners within existing pipes without digging a trench, the mechanical equivalent of minimally invasive surgery because it's cheaper and won't close long stretches of streets for a long time.
This year city crews will make use of a new liner made by 3M they hope will provide a structural lining just along weak spots.
"I'm really excited about it," said John Braam, who manages the city's water operations, All the extra work will pay off in more ways than just better roads and sewers, staff say.
Some of the extra work was made affordable by federal and provincial stimulus money, which covers two-thirds of the costs of some projects that otherwise would have been done in future years.
By doing the work now, and at a lower cost, city hall will have more money to spend five to 10 years from now on major public works that could help London to rebuild an economy stressed by recession and the battering of its manufacturing sector.
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THE TOP PROJECTS
1. Hale/Trafalgar
What: Rail overpass that will be city's first roundabout
Cost: $13 million
Timing: Feb.-Nov.
2. Wonderland Rd. N.
What: Widen to four lanes north of Gainsborough
Cost: $10 million
Timing: April-Nov.
3. Dundas St. E.
What: Replace watermain east of Clarke; road construction east of Crumlin
Cost: $3.5 million
Timing: May-Sept.
4. Trevithen St.
What: Replace road and pipes
Cost: $4.5 million
Timing: March-Oct.
5. White Oaks Rd.
What: Replace sewer south of Exeter Rd.
Cost: $3 million
Timing: May-Oct.
6. Innovation Industrial Park
What: Next phase of development
Cost: $12 million
Timing: Feb.-Nov.
7. Skyway Industrial Subdivison
What: Next phase of development
Cost: $5 million
Timing: May-Sept.
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Other
What: Reline 5 km of water pipe
Cost: $2.5 million
Timing: May-Sept.
What: Reline 40-50 km of sewer pipe
Cost: $6.6 million
Timing: March-Nov.
What: Replace asphalt for 15 sections of major roads and many smaller roads
Cost: $15 million
Timing: April-Nov.