Five months into a two-year closure of Oshawa’s Simcoe Street bridge, the project has reached its first major milestone as crews begin removing the century-old structure one beam at a time.
The full closure of Simcoe Street from Avenue Street to Albany Street, just south of Olive Avenue, began in January and is expected to take two years to complete as Metrolinx rebuilds the bridge over the CPKC rail tracks to support the planned new Central Oshawa GO station.
This week’s work involved the careful removal of concrete beams across the tracks, a painstaking process that had to be paused each time a train passed through. Breaking down the walls on either side of the tracks and cutting and coring work are scheduled to continue through the rest of the week.
Bowmanville Construction Partners was awarded the contract for the first phase of construction, with work underway on key infrastructure upgrades including the replacement of the Simcoe Street bridge and the Farewell Street pedestrian bridge to support a new GO train track.
Watermain relocation on Albert Street has been completed, along with the construction of a chimney swift habitat at 500 Howard Street in Oshawa, both part of the broader project requirements.
The closure has been a source of frustration for Oshawa residents and businesses since it began. Regional councillors representing Oshawa had pressured Metrolinx late last year to minimize disruptions by keeping at least one lane open during construction. Metrolinx maintained that a full closure was necessary, telling council that a phased and partial closure of the century-old bridge was not safe or feasible.
The existing Simcoe Street bridge is more than 100 years old and nearing the end of its service life, according to Metrolinx. The new bridge will be higher, longer, and realigned to meet current engineering standards, designed to accommodate the expanded rail infrastructure needed for the Bowmanville GO extension.
The Simcoe Street bridge replacement is one of the most visible components of the larger Bowmanville GO rail extension project, which will bring GO train service east from Oshawa to Bowmanville for the first time. The project includes new stations at Thornton Road in Oshawa, Courtice in Clarington, and Bowmanville, along with significant track and infrastructure upgrades along the corridor.
While the two-year timeline has drawn criticism from the community, the current phase of bridge removal represents tangible progress. Once the existing structure is fully dismantled, crews will begin work on the foundations and supports for the new bridge, which will be built to accommodate both the existing CPKC tracks and the future GO rail infrastructure.
The bridge removal process is being carried out with precision and care, as crews work around active CPKC rail traffic that continues to operate beneath the structure. Each beam must be removed during brief windows between train movements, adding complexity to an already challenging engineering operation.
Local residents and commuters have had to adjust their routines significantly since the closure began in January, with traffic rerouted through residential neighbourhoods and travel times increased across the city’s south end.
Motorists are reminded that the full closure of Simcoe Street between Avenue Street and Albany Street remains in effect, with detour routes signed throughout the area. Pedestrian access across the tracks is maintained via the Farewell Street pedestrian bridge during construction.
