A section of Highway 401 near Dorchester, Ont. is closing for construction. Here's when
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has begun work to demolish the Dorchester Road Bridge over Highway 401.
“It's going to have an impact on our residents, and it's going to have an impact on the businesses that are along the 401 and any of the others that come normally up Dorchester Road, but we are working on mitigating that problem," said Thames Centre Mayor Sharron McMillan.
The MTO said the project includes replacing the Dorchester Road Bridge with a new four lane bridge and reconfiguring the interchange ramps.
“This is a badly overdue project, and we're very grateful the province of Ontario has jumped in with some infrastructure money to get the job done, and in the end, it will be so much better for this area,” added McMillan.
The MTO said Highway 401 westbound and eastbound lanes will be closed for bridge demolition of the Dorchester Road underpass from April 13 at 6 p.m. until April 14 at 10 a.m.
All westbound and eastbound traffic will be detoured around this closure.
Vehicles will exit and re-enter the highway via the Dorchester Road interchange off-ramps and on-ramps as part of the detour.
A graphic depicts upcoming road closure information for Highway 401 at Dorchester Road in April 2024. (CTV News London)
Thomas McQuinn, who has been driving a truck for 40 years, said he’s travelled along Highway 401 many times and that the work is necessary, but will cause a bit of a delay.
"To get into the fuel bar here [Dorchester Road exit], you have to go about 15 miles out of your way to come into the fuel bar, so that's a bit of an inconvenience, depending on which way you're going on the 401,” said McQuinn.
According to the ministry, Dorchester Road will remain closed to traffic at Highway 401 until October, with local road detours in place to manage traffic.
Construction is expected to be completed by June 2025.
For project details you can visit the following website. Travellers can visit the Ontario 511 website for project updates.
Construction begun on the Dorchester Road Bridge in Dorchester, Ont. in April 2024. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.