Commuters who use the Highway 401 in Chatham may hit a snag, starting Monday, May 6.
A communications coordinator for the Ministry of Transportation said a project on Highway 401 is moving ahead, which involves concrete paving along the highway's eastbound lanes. About 13 kilometres of the highway from Drake Road to east of Charing Cross Road is expected to undergo "reconstruction work". The project also involves rehabilitation work on several bridges and the repaving of interchange ramps at Bloomfield Road.
The westbound on and off ramps at the Bloomfield Rd. will be closed for about a week. Work on the westbound ramps will start May 6 and is expected to last until May 13, however, it will not affect westbound traffic passing through along the Highway 401.
Work is also expected to take place on the eastbound ramps, however, that closure will last months as it includes work on the highway itself, too. The eastbound ramp closure is expected to last from some time at the end of May until the end of November, while reconstruction work on the eastbound Highway 401 is underway. An exact date for the work on the eastbound ramp has yet to be finalized.
During the next few months, while work is being done on the eastbound side of Highway 401 between Drake Road and Charing Cross Road, officials with the MTO said eastbound traffic will shift into the westbound lanes. Highway 401 for this stretch will be reduced to one lane in each direction, with a speed limit of 80 km/ h and temporary concrete barriers in place.
Officials with the MTO said a more specific date and the timeline for the eastbound project will likely be available by next week.
