City eyes BRT money to speed Adelaide underpass

A solution to the chronic traffic congestion at the Adelaide Street railway crossing may be less than four years away as the city looks to use money for the Bus Rapid Transit plan to help cover the cost of separating the railway and busy road.

The project was pegged at about $25 million in a 2013 city report. Coun. Phil Squire said he believes the price tag has increased since then.

"At the end of the day it's going to be $30 or $40 million," he said.

The Ward 6 councillor said it'sworth the cost to clear the bottleneck for drivers and allow London Transit buses to run on time.

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"I think [using BRT money] isgoing to get this done sooner rather than later," he said. "The original plan was to have it done in 2030, which is not acceptable to me."

The crossing over the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks on Adelaide between Central Avenue and Pall Mall Street has long been a source of frustration for London drivers.

A key north-south artery four lanes wide, Adelaide sees up to 32,000 vehicles a day according to a 2013 city report.

The crossing is notorious for long delays, with drivers and pedestrians sometimes waiting up to 10 minutes for trains to pass. A long, slow-moving train can back up southbound traffic north of Oxford and leave northbound traffic at a standstill as far back as Dundas Street. According to slides presented at a recent public meeting about the project, trains use the crossing up to 43 times per day, creating delays that average 126 minutes over a 24-hour period.

Worse, locomotives often stop and reverse over the crossing as they build and break up trains at CP's switching yard located just east of the crossing.

The cure for this congestion may come from the BRT plan, which includes a series of high-frequency bus transit lines across the city. The plan will cost $560 million, with $130 million coming from the city coffers. It's a portion of that money Squire believes should be used to eliminate the Adelaide rail crossing.

"I would take the money out of [BRT money] tomorrow to do this," he said. "I think it's that important."

How the road and railway will be separated is part of an ongoing environmental assessment process. Based on information presented at the second of three planned public meetings, city engineers are leaning toward an underpass.

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Separating the road and railway tracks on Adelaide has been a city priority since 2013. An environmental assessment process is underway to iron out construction details. The final of three public meetings about the project is scheduled to take place in the fall.

Squire also said routing the road under the tracks will improve safety. Drivers often skirt through side streets when a train approaches. Residents of the neigbhourhood have told CBC they've seen teenagers hop between rail cars while trains are stopped at the crossing.

Will CP pick up some of the cost?

Squire suggested CP might pick up some of the cost of the underpass, because removing the grade crossing would benefit their operations and improve safety.

In a statement emailed to CBC London, CP spokesperson Salem Woodrow pointed to these federal government guidelinesthat spell out how costs are shared in such projects. If the city and railway can't agree on a split in construction and maintenance costs, the Canadian Transportation Agency will make a ruling.

"CP has an excellent working relationship with the City of London and we continue to work cooperatively on this project and many others," the CP statement reads. "Discussions are ongoing and CP is unable to comment on the cost of a grade separation project at this crossing."

Squire said city staff plan to work with the railway on cost-sharing.

"That discussion has to take place and I hope it's fruitful, but I'm not holding my breath," he said. "What I don't want to see is us talking about this for another 20 to 25 years. We're a big city now, we should be able to solve this."