NEED TO KNOW: Construction spots impacting your drive to cottage country

The Victoria Day long weekend is the unofficial kick off to summer with motorists heading to cottage country in droves to soak up the warmer weather.

But road construction is also kicking into high gear, so CityNews has put together a list of the major construction spots affecting cottage routes to make your drive up as smooth as possible.

• Listen to CityNews 680 Cottage Country Traffic reports every 10 minutes on the nines.

Leaving the GTA

Both Highway 401 and Highway 400 will be impacted by construction this season.

On the 401 eastbound, rehabilitation work through Scarborough and into Pickering is ongoing. Currently, the collector lanes are reduced between Neilson and Whites roads. Resurfacing and bridge work will make it a tight squeeze for drivers as this project continues through 2025.

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is also scheduled to begin work to remove both the Simcoe and Albert streets bridges over the 401 in Oshawa to prepare for future widening. This may also require lane restrictions but work on this project has already been delayed by several years.

Construction on the eastbound Highway 401 collector lanes near Whites Road as seen from Chopper 680 on May 16, 2023. (CityNews/Kyle Hocking)

On the 400 northbound, crews are continuing work to install a new HOV lane between King and Aurora roads. A more significant project will see construction begin to replace the bridge over the Holland River south of Canal Road. Lane restrictions will be needed for both north and southbound traffic through at least 2024.

In Cookstown, a project to replace the Highway 89 bridge over the 400 continues along with a rebuilding of all ramps in the area. Lane restrictions here should be off-peak and the MTO tells CityNews work is due to be completed some time this summer.

In Barrie, both the Anne Street and Sunnidale Road bridges over the 400 are being replaced which may reduce lanes through the area.

On Highway 27, which serves as a major alternate to the 400, lane restrictions are in effect south of Finch through Humber College Boulevard for ongoing Finch West LRT construction. But work to replace the CNR bridge south of Rutherford was completed last year and all lanes have reopened.

Muskoka Lakes, Simcoe and Grey Counties

Drivers on Highway 11 will likely encounter off and on lane restrictions from north of Barrie to the Severn Bridge in Port Severn as MTO crews continue rehabilitation work on several bridges in the area.

Bridge work is also in place on Highway 12 just north of Gamebridge at a crossing over a tributary to the Talbot River. Only one lane is open for both directions of traffic with temporary traffic signals in place to direct motorists through. Work is expected to cause significant delays and will continue right through the cottage season.

Bridge construction on Highway 12 just north of Gamebridge as seen from Chopper 680 on May 17, 2023. (CityNews/Kyle Hocking)

Construction is planned for a section of Highway 89 west of New Tecumseth in Simcoe County. Crews are slated to resurface the road, replace sections of the guardrail, and add new illuminated signage.

Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough County

There are a couple of major projects that will impact traffic heading northeast of Toronto.

On Highway 35/115, roadwork will continue between Main Street and Boundary Road in Clarington. Currently, single lane construction is in place on the 115 each way at the 35 split. Both the southbound 35 ramp to northbound 115, and the southbound 115 ramp to northbound 35 are closed. Traffic can expect significant delays.

Single lane construction on Highway 115 at the Highway 35 split as seen from Chopper 680 on May 16, 2023. (CityNews/Kyle Hocking)

In addition, bridge replacement will continue to impact Highway 7 between The Parkway and Bensfort Road in Peterborough which has been ongoing since 2016. Only one lane is open each way while work is underway, but the MTO says it should be completed in June.

Construction on Highway 35 at the Gull River Bridge in Moore Falls was completed last season and all lanes are now open through the area.

Niagara Region and border crossings

Rehabilitation work on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Centennial Parkway and Fifty Road in Hamilton was completed last year, but crews will begin work in sections between Grimsby and St. Catharines in 2023. Several bridges and culverts will be rehabilitated. The same work is already underway between Highway 405 and the Garden City Skyway which is due to finish by the end of this year.

Resurfacing work on the 405 is also set to begin which may impact travel times for traffic heading to and from the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge.