As the Adelaide Underpass nears a project milestone, streets near the ongoing construction will be closed until the fall.
Starting Wednesday, Central Avenue and McMahen Street will be closed on the east side of Adelaide Street North. This is to allow crews to begin work to permanently open one lane of traffic in each direction under the $60-million underpass.
During the closure, local traffic will be able to access Central and McMahon using Elizabeth Street. Pedestrians and cyclists are being asked to watch for "wayfinding signage" to safely navigate around the construction.
The milestone of drivers being able to travel under the underpass for the first time is expected to happen sometime this month. But until those lanes are officially opened by the city, both north and southbound traffic on Adelaide will continue to use the temporary bypass road.
Construction of the long-awaited four-lane underpass on Adelaide between Central and McMahen began in 2022. Once fully constructed, it will take drivers under the busy CP Rail tracks, eliminating the estimated 11 to 30 times each day that drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are blocked by passing trains. It will also provide a reliable route for emergency services and public transit and reduce cut-through traffic in adjacent neighbourhoods, according to city officials. For a second year in a row, the Adelaide Underpass was listed on the City of London's top ten construction projects of the year list.
The underpass and all accompanying active transportation components are expected to be completed by this fall.