Video shows demolition of bridge near highway 401 in Oshawa

Highway 401 was closed in both directions between Simcoe and Drew Streets last night for the demolition of the Albert Street underpass bridge.

The construction is part of a Ministry of Transportation project to replace the Simcoe and Albert Street bridges over Highway 401, forming part of a broader rehabilitation and widening effort from Brock Road in Pickering to Courtice Road in Clarington.

Work on the project began this month and is being phased over five stages during the 2023/2024 construction season.

This weekend’s closure began at 9 p.m. on Saturday and ran until 7 a.m. Sunday. A second closure is expected next week on June 22-23 from 9 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by user @colinwxchaser captures the dramatic demolition of the Albert Street underpass bridge. The minute-and-a-half clip, featuring multiple angles, including aerial shots, shows construction crews, dump trucks, bulldozers, and police vehicles at the scene. The footage vividly displays smoke, debris, and the crumbling infrastructure as the bridge is torn down.

Albert Street in Oshawa comes down pic.twitter.com/TFugdaALxS

— Colin Williamson (@ColinWxchaser) June 16, 2024

Detour routes are also 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

—With files from Glenn Hendry