Drivers heading west on the QEW over Hamilton Harbour can breathe a sigh of relief as scheduled construction closures have come to an end following the completion of a significant rehabilitation project on the Burlington Skyway.
The official Burlington Skyway project website confirms that all work is done, and its lane-closure page indicates that there are currently no planned closures.
This announcement marks the end of a long period filled with construction-related traffic issues along one of southern Ontario’s busiest highway routes, where drivers have endured persistent lane restrictions, overnight closures, and weekend work.
The rehabilitation effort kicked off in May 2024, concentrating on the 2.2-kilometre bridge heading towards Niagara. This bridge carries QEW traffic toward Hamilton and Niagara Falls. The project also involved lighting upgrades for both directions of the highway.
The initial construction plan expected at least 24 weekend closures throughout the three-year contract. These were set to start at 10 p. m. on Fridays and wrap up by 5 a. m. on Mondays, affecting two out of four lanes at any given time.
In addition to weekend work, drivers encountered overnight lane restrictions and occasional full shutdowns as crews progressed through various phases of the project.
The scope of work was extensive. Crews replaced concrete barrier walls, repaired sections of the bridge deck, waterproofed it, improved drainage systems, and laid down new asphalt. There were also enhancements made to lighting, new overhead signs put in place, adjustments to highway approaches, and a new notification system for the Burlington Lift Bridge.
This initiative aimed to extend the bridge’s service life while enhancing the overall highway corridor.
However, for many drivers, the most noticeable effect was often how it disrupted their travel plans.
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With lanes narrowed down, traffic had to navigate through tighter parts of the highway-especially during nights and weekends when work was underway. Some ramp closures affected access from Eastport Drive collector lanes as well, forcing drivers to change their routes accordingly.
Eastport Drive remained open during many closures as an alternate route while ramps at Northshore Boulevard interchange mostly stayed accessible. Still, detours and reduced capacity made travel trickier for those commuting between Burlington, Hamilton and Niagara.
The construction unfolded in stages across three seasons: 2024 through 2026.
In its first year, crews concentrated on rehabilitating concrete barriers and roadways on one side of the bridge along with improvements connecting QEW to Eastport Drive.
The second year saw similar efforts shift over to the opposite side involving further barrier reconstruction alongside deck repairs and lighting upgrades.
The final phase included restoring middle lanes along with structural concrete work beneath the bridge before finishing paving job on highway approaches-including ramps leading from Northshore Boulevard.
<p Now that everything's wrapped up successfully; there are no upcoming lane closures listed on their official site related to this project.
This should bring some much-needed relief for commuters plus commercial drivers using QEW frequently across Hamilton Harbour.
However; it’s worth noting that just because this major construction is done doesn’t mean future closures won’t happen again due to routine maintenance or separate projects which could impact traffic flow later down road!
<p For now though; drivers can enjoy fewer disruptions after enduring all those months battling through construction noise over Hamilton Harbour!
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