What may at first appear to be just another construction project along a highway already chock-full of traffic cones is likely to stand out as the most significant for London’s future development.

Work will begin next month on a project to extend Veterans’ Memorial Parkway south of Highway 401 and to replace the bridge overpass with a larger one.

For London, that will give industry better access to and from London where it matters most: a connector that seamlessly links industrial lands to each other and to major markets via Highway 401.

“It is an economic gateway. The Veterans’ Memorial Parkway is an important corridor for London,” said Doug MacRae, division manager of transportation planning for the city of London.

Dufferin Construction has been chosen to design and build improvements to the parkway and highway in the project with the Ontario Transportation Ministry and London sharing the $22.8-million cost.

The parkway now ends at Hwy. 401 but will connect with Wilton Grove Road, 800 metres to the south, where the Forest City Industrial Park is.

That road extension will be the first stage of the project and it will be followed by upgrades to access ramps and then replacement of the bridge.

The bridge will span 75 metres, long enough to accommodate eight lanes of traffic on Hwy 401, says the Ontario Transportation Ministry, although the province has no immediate plans to widen the highway.

The bridge and ramps are to be closed for several months during construction, which is expected to be done in 2018.

The public can submit any concerns they have about the plan until Sept. 2, although the bulk of input and response took place during the environmental assessment process approved two years ago.

The province will provide traffic updates on its mapping site (go to mto.on.ca and search Ontario 511 route planner) and Twitter feed (@Ontario511) as work progresses.

dvanbrenk@postmedia.com

twitter.com/DebatLFPress

How to comment

To make comments or for more information:

Front lobby of MTO office, 659 Exeter Rd.

City hall (300 Dufferin Ave), 3rd floor

Pond Mills branch of London Public Library.

http://hwy401vmp.ca/