West London Dyke: Other Projects
2007 West London Dyke Master Plan (Community Amenities)
In 2005, while undertaking the initial stages of a concrete repair program on this section of the dyke, the UTRCA and the City concluded that a significant portion had come to the end of its useful life and needed to be replaced rather than repaired.
There were many design challenges for reconstruction of the dyke and the community was engaged as to potential reconstruction options which also incorporated potential community amenities such as park and river access features. A model plan was developed as a reference for future replacement works. Extensive public consultation and engineering evaluation resulted in a final recommended design for the first phase of dyke replacement.
West London Dyke Rehabilitation
Phase 1 of the project (2007-2008) replaced a 300 metre section of the dyke north from Queens Avenue, adjacent to Labatt Park. The new dyke structure is located entirely within the footprint of the previous dyke and features a near vertical block wall along the river.
A Master Repair Plan Environmental Assessment, completed in 2016, outlines a 20 year reconstruction plan for the West London Dyke. Four phases of construction have been substantially completed, with funding support from the City of London, the Province of Ontario (Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure Program), and the Government of Canada (National Disaster Mitigation Program). This work, between the Queens Avenue Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, has raised the dyke to the current Regulatory Flood elevation and improved the dyke to current design standards.
Phase 1 was funded by the provincial Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure (WECI) program and the City of London. The total cost of the Phase 1 construction project was $3,600,000. The UTRCA acted as project manager. The City of London Parks Planning Department also completed a smaller Phase 2 project in the vicinity of the Queens Avenue and Dundas Street bridge.
The National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) provided $3,000,000 in funding for Phases 3 and 4 of the plan, reducing the time required to complete the 20 year reconstruction plan. The project estimate for these two phases is $9.8 M. The other funding partners are the City of London and WECI.
For Phases 5 to 13 of the West London Dyke Reconstruction Project, the Government of Canada is contributing up to $10 million through the Disaster Mitigation & Adaptation Fund. The City of London will provide the remainder of the funding for the $25 million project. The UTRCA is managing the project in partnership with the City. The project work for Phases 5 to 13 includes the reconstruction of approximately 1,600 metres of the West London Dyke, from Blackfriars Bridge north to Oxford Street West, and from the Forks of the Thames west to Cavendish Park.
Prior to the current rehabilitation efforts, the dyke protected approximately 1200 structures and 2600 people in the Blackfriars, Petersville, and Cavendish floodplain area to just less than the Regulatory Flood. Once all the upgrades are completed, the dyke will protect this area to the Regulatory Flood standard, reducing risks from flooding and improving the City’s climate change resiliency.