QEW Niagara-bound lanes of Burlington Skyway to close Friday nights in July

Niagara-bound drivers on the QEW will be forced to find another route into the region on most Fridays in July due to repairs on the Burlington Skyway Bridge.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) says starting July 7 the Niagara-bound lanes will be closed for more than 12 hours on Friday night at 8 p.m. so that “critical repairs” can be made to the bridge. MTO says the bridge will remain open on the evening of Friday, July 14 but the scheduled closures will take place the next two weekends.

“The work involves the removal and replacement of an expansion joint system,” the MTO said in a statement. “Expansion joints for road bridges are critical to ensure the continuity of the road surface as well as load bearing capacity and the movement of the bridge.”

The roadway is expected to reopen at 9:30 a.m. the next morning, according to the ministry.

In the case of bad weather, the Friday night closure will be rescheduled for Saturday and lanes will reopen by 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

The work on the westbound lanes is expected to continue for the next three Fridays as well.