Highway 401 to be closed in both directions in Oshawa the next two Saturday nights

Highway 401 will be closed in both directions between Simcoe and Drew streets the next two Saturday nights to demolish the existing Albert Street underpass bridge.

Construction of the structure replacement began this month and will be phased over five stages in the 2023/2024 construction season. The next closure will be June 22-23, with completion date of all work expected by November.

This weekend’s closure will be from 9 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. The closure June 22-23 will be from 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

The work is part of a transportation ministry ongoing project to replace the Simcoe and Albert street bridges over the highway and is the Oshawa section of rehabilitation and long-term widening work from Brock Road in Pickering to Courtice Road in Clarington.

The need to replace these structures with wider structures was identified through the Ministry’s Environmental Assessment process to accommodate the future widening of Highway 401 through Oshawa.

Demolition of the Simcoe Street bridge last year. Photo Steve Alford

The project will include:

• Replacement of the 401 bridges at Simcoe Street and Albert Street
• Shoulder widening and resurfacing of Highway 401
• Construction of the Lviv Blvd cul-de-sac
• Installation of new storm sewers and watermains
• Reconstruction of the Lviv Blvd. and Albert Street intersection
• Reconstruction of the Bloor Street and Simcoe Street intersection
• Re-alignment of the Michael Starr Trail multi-use pathway

Detour routes will be in place to divert vehicle traffic using existing arterial roads:

• Eastbound Traffic on Highway 401 – All lanes of traffic will exit at the Simcoe Street off-ramp (East/West) and follow Bloor Street eastbound until reaching the next available Highway 401 on-ramp west of Fourth Avenue.
• Westbound Traffic on Highway 401 – All lanes of traffic will exit at the Drew Street off-ramp, proceed north to the intersection of First Avenue and Drew Street and then follow First Avenue westbound to Simcoe St From there, traffic will travel southbound towards the Simcoe Street on-ramp to access Highway 401 westbound.

During the overnight work other local streets will be closed, except to residents:

• Simcoe Street – from 150 metres north of Lviv Blvd. to Bloor Street
• Albert Street – from Third Avenue to Bloor Street
• Front Street – from Third Avenue to Lviv Blvd.
• Lviv Blvd – from Simcoe Street to Front Street

All detour routes will be clearly outlined by the appropriate detour signage to guide traffic.

Check out my full video of the Simcoe Street bridge demolition over the 401 this morning. #simcoestreet #oshawa #bridge #demolition pic.twitter.com/h7ddTnP5gC

— Colin Williamson (@ColinWxchaser) July 23, 2023