Those who commute between downtown and west London will have to slow their roll for an extended period or find an alternate route, as major work begins Monday on the Queen’s Bridge, which spans the Thames River. The work will take place between Ridout Street North and where Queen’s Avenue becomes Riverside Drive, around Wilson Avenue. Jennie Dann, the city’s director of construction and infrastructure services, says the deck is deteriorating, and needs to be rebuilt. “We’re replacing the entire bridge deck. So that includes the bridge deck itself, some key structural elements. While we’re at it, we’re going to widen for future rapid transit, add pedestrian connections, and a multi-use path,” Dann explained. Dann says traffic will be down to one lane for the duration of the project, with temporary full bridge closures from time to time. “We’re encouraging folks to use Horton, use Oxford, pull out their navigation maps, and try to look to see where the congestion is maybe a little lighter, and take that when they’re planning their routes home,” she said. Sidewalk restrictions and closures will take place during the project. Meanwhile, bicycle routes will be impacted as the Thames Valley Parkway will be closed on both sides of the bridge. Bicycle Café owner Andrew McClenaghan says serious cyclists won’t get sidetracked. “It’s transportation for them. It’s how they get to work, to school, et cetera. I think they’ll still be on their bikes. They’ll get a couple extra klicks on the way. This is a project that’s needed. It helps us meet our shared targets as a whole, helps with the rapid transit project,” he said. Queen’s Bridge was erected in 1973. This is the first time it has had any major work done, Dann says. “So, we’re going to replace that deck so we can get another 50 years out of the bridge,” she said. The project cost is $10 million. The rehab is expected to take approximately 15 months, wrapping up by June 2027.
