Southdale Road Improvements

[CanadianTalk]

City staff is asking Council to approve the contract for the detailed design and tendering for the widening of Southdale Road between Colonel Talbot Road and Bostwick Road

https://pub-london.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=117645

The project is also now scheduled to start in 2028 as opposed to the original 2031 timeline.

[jammer139]

Lets celebrate they are moving it up 3 years. Look at how good we are. Pat on the back.....

Should have happened over a decade ago instead of the repave project they wasted millions on.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by jammer139

Lets celebrate they are moving it up 3 years. Look at how good we are. Pat on the back.....

Should have happened over a decade ago instead of the repave project they wasted millions on.

As always...dont do the work while already on site. You know they could have done this work when they did the small stretch between Bostwick/Pine Valley, or again when they did the roundabout.

[ldoto]

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

As always...dont do the work while already on site. You know they could have done this work when they did the small stretch between Bostwick/Pine Valley, or again when they did the roundabout.

I totally agree with you!!! just the stupidest things the city does. When they had both ends of the roads ripped up already and heavy machinery in the area.???

[Djeffery]

Of course, because there was endless money to do that, and no other road projects anywhere else needed to be done over the last 5 years and none were put on hold to pay for other costly projects either.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Of course, because there was endless money to do that, and no other road projects anywhere else needed to be done over the last 5 years and none were put on hold to pay for other costly projects either.

I completely understand that projects need to be properly budgeted and planned for well ahead of time...that said if you add up the costs to do these three projects separately versus all at once, or at worst did the entire Pine Valley to Col Talbot as one project and the roundabout as a separate project we would be looking at millions of dollars less, likely 10's of millions when you get into the multiple assessments and planning stages that might have been done on repeat. I would even be up for the argument that we could have left that entire stretch of Southdale at 1 lane and did the full Bradley extension as a priority first , that would reduce traffic from Exeter and Southdale at peak times which may have pushed the need for Southdale to be done for 5-10 years.

Our city (all cities) lack any foresight on projects has always been my issue, it ends up costings taxpayers more in the end with really no checks or balances in place.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

...all cities lack any foresight on projects has always been my issue, it ends up costings taxpayers more in the end with really no checks or balances in place.

That is completely wrong on more levels than you are even aware of.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by Snark

That is completely wrong on more levels than you are even aware of.

Fair point I totally agree...most would have been a more accurate comment .

For me that is the most frustrating aspect of the planning process in London. It often feels like no one actually thinks about how they could make a project cheaper or more efficient. They just look at a big board and go yep lets do this today.

[Djeffery]

I just think those of us on the outside of the projects are pretty clueless on the processes involved even if we like to think we know better than those whose jobs this is. To be honest, from some of the comments I have seen on here over the years, such as the new Ridout Bridge should have been built 5 lanes wide so Ridout could be widened some number of decades from now, or why do repairs on that rail overpass on Riverside when it should just be rebuilt to allow Riverside to be 5 lanes sometime later this century, I'm glad some of these people aren't in charge or the city would have been bankrupted with overbuilt road projects that don't serve any particular need.