If you drive Oxford Street east of Highbury, heads up: you’re about to get very familiar with construction pylons.

Phase 4 of the East London Link project is kicking off in late March, with prep work starting this week. The City says construction will begin around March 31 on the south side of Oxford Street, running from the eastern limit of the project to Roehampton Avenue.

And this isn’t a quick fix. The work will stretch through both 2025 and 2026, meaning nearly two years of lane reductions, turning restrictions, and orange signs telling you where you can’t go.

The City hosted a virtual info session on March 19, but if you missed it, you can still check out the presentation on the East London Link project page.

This phase is part of a much bigger deal: a multi-year project that’ll eventually revamp more than 6 km of road from Downtown all the way to Fanshawe College. It’s not just fresh pavement. The plan includes replacing aging underground infrastructure like sewers and watermains.

Here’s the part that might mess with your usual routes: they’re adding a centre median along the corridor. That means left turns will only be allowed at signalized intersections. Driveways and unsignalized side streets? Right-in, right-out only.

If you run a business along Oxford, you might need to rethink delivery routes and how customers access your lot.

The East London Link has pulled in funding from both federal and provincial governments, supporting 10 transit and transit-related projects across the city.

This latest phase joins other construction already reshaping East London. Phase 3A West is active on Dundas between Egerton and McCormick, expected to wrap around December 2024 (with some work spilling into 2025). Phase 3C has been underway since February on Highbury North between Oxford and the Highbury overpass.

Want to keep tabs on what’s happening? Sign up for email updates or check the East London Link project page for the latest.