Today, City Council approved seven construction contracts for essential infrastructure work.
“Our goal is to balance the health and safety of our community with the need to deliver essential services,” says Mayor Ed Holder. “Approved infrastructure projects are critical to the safe movement of our community members, the flow of goods and services, and the local economy.”
The decision comes after the City and its construction partners thoroughly assessed these 2020 construction projects. It follows the Government of Ontario’s confirmation that construction projects required to ensure safe and reliable operations of, or to provide new capacity in, critical infrastructure remain an essential service on April 3, 2020.
As a result, the City of London will proceed with planned work in partnership with its consultants and contractors. During this time, all parties will be committed to closely monitoring construction site conditions to ensure projects are compliant with COVID-19 measures recommended by local, provincial and federal health officials.
“Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our employees, partners and community,” says Kelly Scherr, City Engineer. “Our extended project teams have confirmed that they will continue to update and revise their health and safety plans as the government recommendations and requirements continue to evolve.”
Health and safety protocol is always paramount when undertaking a construction project. The unprecedented circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic means important public health practices must be followed including:
- providing better on-site sanitation
- clearly communicating roles, responsibilities and health and safety policies
- enabling greater distances between workers
- limiting unnecessary contact between workers and outside service providers
To help stop the spread of COVID-19 on the work site, task-specific procedural enhancements may also be developed by our contractors where necessary.
Staff anticipate that reduced traffic levels on all streets will increase worker safety and productivity. Starting the work on time may also help shorten local business impacts.
“As we move forward, we will continue to work closely with business owners to develop plans to support them and minimize construction impacts as much as possible,” says Scherr.
Residents living or working near construction sites who have questions or concerns are reminded not to approach the contractor. Instead, reach out to your designated City Project Manager by email or phone in order to minimize direct contact with our project team as much as possible.
All aspects of City-led construction projects may be subject to change based on further COVID-19 developments. For information about impacts of COVID-19 on City programs and services, visit london.ca/covid-19.