Western Road (London, Ontario)

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Western Road is a north-south arterial road located in London, Ontario. It primarily skirts around the west side of the University of Western Ontario campus, University Hospital, and various student residences including Saugeen-Maitland Hall. Western Road starts at Richmond Street just south of the Masonville Place shopping centre continuing southward to connect with Wharncliffe Road.

[edit] History

Western Road takes its name after the University of Western Ontario and is one of the main access routes to the campus. It also acts as a key corridor for traffic bypassing the some of the older, more congested neighborhoods of north London. The road was primary rural until the 1960's, becoming more urbanized with the growth of the university.

[edit] Recent improvements

Expansive residential growth in North London, along with its proximity to the university campus and hospital, led to serious road deficiencies. The road experienced congestion during peak travel periods as well as numerous potholes and worn pavement.

Due to this, Western Road was nominated as one of the worst roads in Ontario by the Canadian Automobile Association [1]. In 2007, Western Road was widened to four lanes from Huron University College to Richmond Street. The road now features a wide, treed boulevard within the campus area.