On Friday, April 19, at approximately 10 a.m., the City of London will open one northbound lane and one southbound lane under the Adelaide Underpass. For the first time, Londoners will be able to travel under the new underpass providing much-anticipated bottleneck relief from trains for the community.
The temporary bypass road will be closed to all users starting Friday afternoon. At this time, pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to travel under the underpass using the sidewalk on the west side. Wayfinding signage will be provided to direct people under the rail crossing.
Cyclists will be encouraged to dismount while using the sidewalk under the underpass to travel on Adelaide Street North. This will only be necessary while crews finish work on the multi-use paths on either side of the underpass.
The next significant project milestone includes opening all (four) traffic lanes under the underpass and completing active transportation components later this summer. Restoration of park amenities will continue into the fall/winter and 2025 construction season.
Related road closures
Road closures on Central Avenue and McMahon Street will remain in place until fall 2024. Local traffic can access McMahen Street and Central Avenue from Elizabeth Street. As always, cyclists and pedestrians are encouraged to watch for wayfinding signage to safely navigate around construction.
About the project
The City of London is reconstructing Adelaide Street North from Elias Street to just north of McMahen Street, and Central Avenue from William Street to Elizabeth Street. The project is adding an underpass beneath the rail tracks, to allow traffic to flow while trains are crossing; and adding intersection improvements and active transportation connections through the area, including multi-use paths on both sides of Adelaide Street.
We acknowledge with gratitude the financial support provided by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario for the Adelaide Underpass project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP): Public Transit Stream.