Wellington Street closed again as downtown summer events ramp up

London commuters face a traffic challenge as Wellington Road is closed at Horton for the summer. CTV London’s Bryan Bicknell reports.

More noise.

More dust.

More navigating around the all too familiar orange and red cones throughout downtown.

That’s the reality once again for motorists like Joe Aromeira, who on Wednesday, found himself trying to figure out how to get through downtown to south London.

“Well, that’s ridiculous man,” Aromeiri lamented. “It’s waste of time. Everyone wasting time here. It take me now half an hour to go to Eden Avenue. It’s just five minutes for me. That’s too much,” he said.

The southern gateway to downtown, Wellington Street from Horton Street to King Street is closed again in both directions, including the underpass, as of Wednesday. Construction on underground infrastructure that began last year is continuing.

Mercury print shop, the one small business located along that stretch of Wellington, is asking customers for some understanding.

“We advise them that everything is under construction, but it’s been like that now for months, years. So, everyone’s kind of used to it, but it’s just unfortunate,” said owner Joe Carnegie.

Just a few blocks north up Wellington, big tents, trailers and trucks are moving into Victoria Park for this weekend’s Sunfest ‘25. Organizers are expecting 100,000 unique visitors to the event. Co-Artistic Director Mercedes Caxaj advises people to give themselves extra time to get there.

“Hopefully Google Maps or Waze, they update a little bit. But obviously, find other routes and come in through Highbury Hamilton, or come in through Ridout Street. Those are the options right now. But it’s a little tricky with Clarence there being closed off as well. But we encourage people to also check their ride-shares. Come use public transit, biking,” she explained.

Dundas Place is also expected to be bustling with activity throughout the summer, as the street closes to vehicle traffic for outdoor events. Sean Murray, Director of Culture and Entertainment Tourism for Tourism London, says the party rolls on, in spite of the construction.

“Dundas Place is perfectly equipped for pedestrian traffic, whether it’s walking from a downtown hotel, or cycling in. But it might be good to incorporate a little bit of extra time in your commute. But it’s going to be worth it once you get here,” he said.

The latest Wellington Street closure is actually part of the York Street infrastructure renewal project. Aging sewer systems are being replaced to improve drainage capacity and keep up with population growth.

Jennie Dann, Director of Construction and Infrastructure Services, says it’s necessary work that’s been a long time in coming.

“The intersection work that we’re doing involves replacing a deep, 1850s brick and mortar combined sanitary sewer. And the depths and the scale of the excavation makes it impossible to maintain traffic through the intersection while this work is underway. Given that it is summertime, and we see smaller traffic volumes, this is a good opportunity to try to get this work done,” said Dann.

Dann says keeping the intersection open during construction would extend the timeline of the project, make the project more expensive, and pose safety risks to both the crew and the public.

The closure of Wellington Street between Horton Street and King Street will run through Labour Day weekend.