The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has finalized a massive wave of infrastructure maintenance, resulting in 25 scheduled lane closures and restrictions across the Durham Region beginning Monday, May 18, 2026. The planned roadwork will introduce localized bottlenecks along Highway 401, Highway 35/115, Highway 35, and Highway 12.
Commuters traveling through Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, and Clarington should prepare for rolling daily and nightly delays, including a brief, high-impact OPP-assisted full closure in Oshawa.
Highway 401 Corridor Disruption Schedule
The backbone of the GTA’s commuter network will absorb the majority of the construction pressure, with significant multi-lane closures planned during off-peak and overnight windows.
1. Westbound Restrictions (Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, Clarington)
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Oshawa to Pickering: One right lane closed continuously from Harmony Road to Brock Road until May 26 at 2:30 p.m.
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Pickering (Local): One left lane closed daily between the Brock Road interchanges until May 26 at 3:00 p.m.
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Pickering to Toronto: One alternating lane closed daily on both the regular and express westbound lanes between Brock Road and Morningside Avenue stretching until late June.
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Ajax Bottleneck: Three right lanes closed nightly from Salem Road to Westney Road starting May 19 at 10:00 p.m. through May 23 at 5:00 a.m.
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Oshawa Hotspot: Two right lanes closed nightly between Simcoe Street and Stevenson Road from May 19 to May 23 (8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.).
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Clarington to Oshawa: One alternating lane closed daily between Highway 35/115 and Harmony Road from May 19 to May 22 (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).
2. Eastbound Restrictions & Full Intermittent Closure (Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington)
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Oshawa OPP Rolling Closure: A nightly, OPP-assisted full closure for 15 minutes will impact Highway 401 eastbound between Ritson Road and Harmony Road from May 20 to May 22 (9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.). Two alternating lanes will remain closed outside the 15-minute freeze window.
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Oshawa Lane Reductions: One left lane closed nightly between Ritson Road and Harmony Road from May 25 to May 28 (10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.).
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Pickering to Oshawa: One right lane closed daily from Brock Road to Harmony Road until May 26 at 2:30 p.m.
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Clarington to Port Hope: One alternating lane closed daily between Highway 35/115 and Boundary Road from May 19 to May 22 (6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
Highway 35/115 and Highway 12 Interchanges
Work crews are also extending operations into northern Durham and the eastern boundaries of Clarington, targeting regional utility bridges and granular paving.
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Clarington (Southbound): One right lane closed nightly between Highway 2 and Highway 401 from May 20 to May 23 (6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.). Concurrently, one alternating lane will remain closed during the day between Highway 35 and Highway 401 until May 29.
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Pontypool (Highway 35): Long-term infrastructure work continues with one alternating lane closed daily between Boundary Road and Telecom Road until December 23, 2026.
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North Durham / Ramara (Highway 12): Nightly maintenance will force one alternating lane closure between Talbot River Bridge and Atherley Road from May 19 to May 23 (8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.), repeating the following week from May 26 to May 30.
Strategic Navigation Advice
With multi-lane cutbacks affecting central hubs like Ajax (Salem/Westney) and Oshawa (Simcoe/Stevenson) simultaneously, internal regional routes will experience secondary congestion. Commuters trying to bypass the Highway 401 westbound bottlenecks are encouraged to utilize Taunton Road or Highway 2, though local work like the Ajax watermain hookup may cause localized friction on municipal arteries.
