New sidewalk on Tennent Avenue

About this project

The City of London is committed to providing safe, convenient, and accessible mobility choices for all residents. As part of this commitment, new sidewalks are added each year on streets that currently lack them, to bolster connectivity and provide more mobility options.

In November 2023, City Council approved a Neighbourhood Connectivity Plan for the Northridge neighbourhood that includes adding a sidewalk on one side of Tennent Avenue from A.B. Lucas Secondary School to Glengarry Avenue.

The City then evaluated different options for the sidewalk location with resident input. The sidewalk construction is now planned to begin in the summer of 2025.

Above: A map of the proposed sidewalk along Tennent Avenue.

In the fall of 2024, the City sent a notice to residents about an upcoming sidewalk project on Tennent Avenue that will improve connectivity and increase mobility choices for nearby residents and students.

Since the notice, a detailed land survey has been completed, on-street public engagement took place, and the feasibility of multiple sidewalk locations on Tennent Avenue have been assessed.

The assessment looked at a range of factors, including walking connectivity, pedestrian comfort, street lighting, grading, and potential impacts to trees, utilities, on-street parking and driveways. City staff also considered the comments we received from residents from the on-street discussions on November 6, 2024 and all other feedback received to date.

Based on resident feedback and the detailed assessment, the City is recommending the following sidewalk location:

• Tennant Avenue between the west end (the entrance to AB Lucas Secondary School) and Glengarry Avenue. The sidewalk design will narrow the road and introduce a curb and sidewalk on the north side matching the existing sidewalk at the school.
  

Advance tree removals

After careful assessment by the City, it was determined that one tree within the City right of way will need to be removed. Learn more about this tree removal.

Advance tree removals will occur in February or March and these trees will be marked with white spray paint in advance of their removal.

A tree protection plan has been established for the remaining trees and tree replanting will occur after construction, with the goal of planting the right tree in the right location.

Design

There are two design options that were considered for Tennent Avenue (or a combination of the two):

1. A sidewalk behind the curb, immediately adjacent to the existing curb.
2. Narrowing the roadway for vehicles and locating the sidewalk near the existing curb location. This would align best with the school walkway.

The examples pictured below show the two different options of sidewalks assessed by the City. Option #2 has been selected for this project.

1. A sidewalk behind the curb example - the sidewalk is immediately adjacent to the curb.	2. Sidewalk with road narrowing example - the roadway is narrowed by shifting the curb toward the centre of the road.