A group of three councillors from Oshawa is asking the Ontario Transportation ministry for a winter work schedule regarding bridge construction in the city’s west end, which has been causing major traffic issues.
A part of Simcoe Street in Oshawa was shut down – for two years – starting in January due to Metrolinx constructing a new bridge over the rail tracks, allowing GO trains to reach the planned new central Oshawa station just east of it.
Drivers in Oshawa have also faced delays from ongoing bridge work at Albert Street and Wilson Road as part of the GO train expansion. The situation worsened in spring when the transport ministry (MTO) closed Park Road and Cubert Street to support Highway 401’s widening.
In an email sent to Oshawa councillors earlier this year, the MTO mentioned that while this work was originally set for next year, it has been moved up. As a result, Cubert Street is closed for bridge work, and Park Road – between Bloor Street and College Avenue – was shut down on July 13. A weekend closure of Park Road also occurred from June 27-28.
“The nightmare continues and neither MTO nor Metrolinx has any concern about how their decisions impact our city and its residents,” said Oshawa Regional Councillor Brian Nicholson last month.
Another project happening simultaneously that’s adding to traffic frustration is the replacement of the Wilson Road overpass, which has fully closed Wilson from Dieppe Avenue to Bloor Street until late spring 2027, as part of highway widening efforts.
The ongoing traffic troubles in Oshawa have led Nicholson along with fellow councillors Tito-Dante Marimpietri and John Gray to write a letter to Durham Region officials, asking them to clarify future plans regarding Park Road and Cubert Street with the ministry.
Is work on the current 401-expansion program going to continue through winter? If not, when will it pause and when is it expected to start again? If there’s no plan for continuous work during winter months, could currently closed roads like Park Road and Cubert Street be reopened for public transit and community use during that period? It’s understandable that closures are necessary while work is active; however, if there’s a chance those roads can reopen during downtime, that should absolutely be done.
The councillors are hopeful regional staff can get some answers from MTO regarding scheduling concerns.
With Oshawa still trying to cope with traffic turmoil caused by multiple bridge projects and road closures tied to Highway 401’s expansion along with GO train extensions into Bowmanville, Clarington is also feeling similar struggles due to several ongoing bridge projects. One of these required a complete shutdown of part of Highway 401 on August 8-9.
The demolition and reconstruction of the Bennett Road bridge in Bowmanville kicked off on August 7 with closures occurring between Baseline Road and Lake Road from 10 p. m. Friday, August 7 until 6 a. m. Monday, August 10.
Highway 401 was entirely closed both ways overnight between Liberty Street and Highway 115 on Saturday, August 8 as well as Sunday, August 9 for “critical” bridge construction activities.
The long-awaited but delayed GO train extension eastward from Oshawa is projected to take about fifteen years before commuters can travel all the way out to Bowmanville; however, Metrolinx CEO officials are optimistic about reducing that timeline.
This project includes building four new stations at Thornton Corners (which will require constructing a new bridge over Highway 401), alongside central stations at Ritson Road in Oshawa as well as Courtice and Bowmanville in Clarington.
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