Major construction, lane closures return to Hwy. 401 on Wednesday

Drivers who use Highway 401 to cross the City of Toronto will need to prepare for a much slower commute.

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) confirmed to 680 NewsRadio Toronto that long-term rehabilitation work will resume on Wednesday.

“The Ministry of Transportation is currently working on the rehabilitation of the Highway 401 express lanes and the Dufferin Street, Bathurst Street, and Wilson Avenue bridges between Jane Street and Yonge Street,” the Ministry said. 

“This will extend the life span of the existing infrastructure and reduce maintenance requirements.”

Rehabilitation work on the eastbound express lanes was completed in 2022, but work on the westbound express lanes is due to continue into 2025.

“The Highway 401 westbound express will have a long-term lane closure beginning April 24, 2024, and continuing until winter shutdown.”

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation

Construction crews will narrow the westbound express lanes from three lanes to two from approaching Avenue Road to Allen Road, and from four lanes to three from Allen Road to approaching Highway 400.

The MTO tells 680 NewsRadio its crews will begin to implement lane restrictions over the course of the next three overnights, with the full stretch of lane restrictions to be in place by Friday April 26th.

These same lane closures were in place throughout the 2023 construction season, but the MTO says it is making an important change this year to help reduce congestion.

“An additional lane is being added to the Highway 401 westbound collector lanes to help maintain highway capacity for public traffic during construction,” the MTO said.

Lane restrictions will remain in place in the express lanes until cold weather sets in at the end of 2024, before returning again next spring.

The full project is slated to finish by the end of 2025.