Contract 3

Contract 3

Expected to begin in 2018, subject to funding and approvals, and will include three construction seasons (i.e., April to October 2018, 2019, and 2020).

‌‌‌Scope of Work

The project limits for Contract 3 are on Highway 401 from Essex Road 42, County of Essex, easterly to Victoria Road, Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

The proposed work includes the following scope of work over three construction seasons:

Year 1

• Reconstruction of approximately 11.6 km of the Highway 401 eastbound lanes (EBL) from 2.0 km west of Mull Road to 1.4 km west of Victoria Road
• Rehabilitation of the Charing Cross Road (County Road 10) Underpass, Taff Creek Bridge (EBL), and Kent Bridge Road Underpass
• Rehabilitation of ten (10) structural culverts
• Upgrading partial illumination at the Kent Bridge Road interchange, and upgrading to LED lighting at the Victoria Road interchange
• Commence installation of 51.49 km of High Tension Cable Median Barrier (HTCMB) from 0.9 km east of Essex Road 42, easterly to Victoria Road

Year 2

• Reconstruction of approximately 13.0 km of the Highway 401 EBL from 0.13 km east of Drake Road to 1.4 km east of Charing Cross Road
• Rehabilitation of the Government Drain #2 Bridge (EBL), Government Drain #3 Bridge (EBL), Raleigh Plains Drain Bridge (EBL), Flook and Hinton Drain Bridge (EBL), Proctor Drain Bridge (EBL and westbound lanes (WBL)), and Kent Bridge Road Underpass
• Rehabilitation of three (3) structural culverts
• Replacement of the existing Gregory (Locke) Drain structural culvert on the EBL side of Highway 401, and rehabilitation of the culvert on the WBL side of Highway 401
• Upgrading partial illumination at the Bloomfield Road interchange

Year 3

• Complete HTCMB system installation
• Construction demobilization and clean-up operations

 

In addition, the following will be undertaken throughout the duration of the project:

• Shoulder strengthening on Highway 401 to accommodate traffic during construction (one-lane in each direction will be maintained via median crossovers)
• Drainage improvements, including replacement of non-structural culverts and sewers
• Guide rail replacement/improvements
• Ramp resurfacing at Kent Bridge Road interchange, Bloomfield Road interchange, and Victoria Road interchange

Construction Staging and Traffic Management

Temporary traffic impacts will occur in order to construct the improvements while maintaining traffic on Highway 401. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on the Highway 401 westbound side via a median crossover to facilitate the reconstruction of Highway 401 EBL. All lanes will be open during winter shutdown.

The eastbound ramps will be closed at the Highway 401/Kent Bridge Road interchange during Year 1, and temporary signals will be used to direct traffic on the Kent Bridge Road underpass. One full night time closure and four night time rolling closures are also required to complete improvements at Kent Bridge Road during Year 1. A temporary full closure of Charing Cross Road at the Highway 401 underpass will occur for a period of three months, from July to October, during Year 1 to facilitate the underpass improvements.

The eastbound ramps at the Bloomfield Road interchange will be closed during Year 2. The westbound on-ramp will be closed for up to two months, and the Highway 401 WBL will be reduced to one lane at the Highway 401/Kent Bridge Road interchange during Year 2 to facilitate work on the underside of the underpass.

Access for emergency services will be maintained at the closed ramps at all times during both years of construction via temporary granular ramps and by the contractor through the construction zone. Existing median emergency vehicle turn-arounds within the construction zone will not be available during construction; however, they will be reinstated at the end of each construction season. Advance notice of the closures will be distributed to local municipalities and emergency service providers.

Motorists and commercial haulers traveling through the study area may experience temporary delay or disruption during construction. Advanced signing of construction on Highway 401 will be provided.