Drivers across Durham Region should prepare for another night of construction-related traffic delays as roadwork continues on Highway 401 and several other provincial routes Saturday, Aug. 29.
The Durham highway roadwork schedule includes overnight lane restrictions in Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, Clarington and communities across north Durham.
While provincial roadwork listings contain dozens of scheduled entries, many are lane reductions rather than complete highway closures, and some listed projects begin on later dates.
Motorists travelling Saturday evening and overnight should therefore pay particular attention to the restrictions that remain active or begin Aug. 29.
Highway 401 roadwork continues across Durham
Highway 401 accounts for many of the most significant restrictions.
In Pickering, nightly westbound work continues between Brock Road and Whites Road until Aug. 31.
Another westbound restriction runs between Salem Road in Ajax and Brock Road in Pickering, with alternating lanes affected during overnight construction.
Eastbound drivers are also affected between Brock Road and Harwood Avenue, where nighttime lane restrictions are scheduled to continue into Sept. 1.
Farther east, work continues between Harwood Avenue in Ajax and Stevenson Road in Oshawa.
Oshawa motorists should expect additional nighttime construction around Simcoe Street, Ritson Road and Harmony Road.
Several of those projects involve alternating lane closures and are scheduled to continue through the end of August or into early September.
Clarington highway work begins Saturday night
Clarington also has several active construction areas.
A new Highway 401 eastbound restriction around Holt Road is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday and continue on subsequent nights into early September.
Highway 35/115 is another area where drivers should expect construction.
Northbound nighttime restrictions between Highway 401 and Highway 115 continue, while southbound work between Highway 35 and Highway 401 is scheduled to begin Saturday night.
Drivers approaching Bowmanville or travelling between Highway 401 and the Highway 35/115 corridor should allow additional travel time.
Highway 7 and Highway 7/12 affected in north Durham
Roadwork is also continuing across several north Durham routes.
Nighttime restrictions remain scheduled on Highway 7 between Highway 12 in Whitby and the Brock Township area.
Highway 7/12 has similar recurring lane restrictions between Columbus Road in Whitby and the Highway 7 junction near Sunderland.
Both northbound and southbound traffic may be affected.
Highway 12 and Highway 48 also have construction activity affecting routes through Brock Township and neighbouring areas.
Highway 7A restrictions near Port Perry
Drivers in Scugog should also watch for work along Highway 7A.
Eastbound restrictions between Highway 7/12 and Nesbitt Line Road near Port Perry are scheduled to continue nightly into early September.
Additional westbound work is expected to begin Sunday night.
Motorists should follow posted construction signs and be prepared for temporary lane reductions.
Not every listed project is an Aug. 29 Durham closure
Provincial roadwork listings can include projects that start days or weeks later, as well as highway segments extending outside Durham Region.
Some Aug. 29 listings also ended during the early morning hours Saturday.
For that reason, drivers should not interpret the overall number of scheduled roadwork entries as meaning dozens of highways are completely closed at the same time.
Most of the work involves one or more lanes being temporarily unavailable while remaining lanes continue to carry traffic.
Check conditions before travelling
Construction schedules can change because of weather, operational requirements or the progress of individual projects.
Drivers travelling through affected parts of Durham should check Ontario 511 before leaving, allow extra time and obey temporary speed limits and construction-zone signage.
The Durham highway roadwork scheduled for Saturday night is concentrated primarily on Highway 401, Highway 35/115 and several north Durham provincial routes, with recurring nighttime restrictions continuing into the coming week.
