Highway 401 to shut down through Oshawa Saturday night for Simcoe Street bridge demolition

Highway 401 in Oshawa will be closed in both directions Saturday night between Simcoe and Drew streets for the demolition of the Simcoe Street bridge.

Lane closures will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday, with the full shut down of the highway between Simcoe and Drew Street happening at 11 p.m. The highway is expected to re-open by seven a.m. Sunday.

Eastbound traffic will exit at the Simcoe St. off-ramp and follow Bloor Street eastbound to the Harmony Road on-ramp. Westbound highway travellers will exit at the Simcoe/Ritson Road exit at Drew St. and proceed to First Avenue, following First Ave. west until Simcoe, where they can access the highway.

A few connecting roads will also be closed during the work, including Simcoe from 150 metres north of Lviv Boulevard to Bloor Street; Albert Street from Third Avenue to Bloor; Front Street from Third to Lviv; and Lviv from Simcoe to Front.

The bridge demolition is part of highway widening happening on the 401 between Brock Road in Pickering and Courtice Road in Clarington. The provincial transportation ministry has hired Brennan Paving and Construction to replace both the Simcoe and Albert bridges over the highway.

Preliminary work began last month and is expected to be completed over multiple stages by November 2024.

The work will also include:

• Shoulder widening and resurfacing of Highway 401
• Construction of a Lviv B cul-de-sac
• Installation of new storm sewers and watermains
• Reconstruction of the Lviv and Albert Street intersection
• Reconstruction of the Bloor and Simcoe St. S. intersection
• Re-alignment of the Michael Starr Trail pathway

There will also be periodic nights and weekend lane closures on Highway 401 during the work.

The ministry will notify residents and businesses in advance of all roadway closures using message boards and signage, as well as written notification to all stakeholders in advance of any full closures.