Overview

Overview

The overall improvement plan for Highway 401 from Essex Road 42 to Victoria Road includes the following:

• Approximately 50 km of full depth pavement reconstruction separated into 3 construction contracts (Project Reference: GWP 3091‑12‑00, GWP 3086‑14‑00, and GWP 3102‑15‑00)
• Installation of High Tension Cable Median Barrier in the median from the western limit of Contract 1 (GWP 3061‑12‑00) to the eastern limit of Contract 3 (GWP 3102‑15‑00)
• Drainage improvements, including rehabilitation or replacement of culverts and sewers, as well as ditching, where required
• Rehabilitation of the Queen Street Overpass eastbound lanes (EBL) and westbound lanes (WBL); Little Baptist Creek Bridge, EBL and WBL; Baptist Creek Bridge, EBL and WBL; McDougall Drain Bridge, EBL and WBL; Government Drain #1 Bridge, WBL; Government Drain #2 Bridge, EBL and WBL; Government Drain Bridge #3, EBL and WBL; Raleigh Plains Drain Bridge, EBL and WBL; Flook and Hinton Drain Bridge, EBL and WBL; Charing Cross Road Underpass (Chatham-Kent Road 10); Proctor Drain Bridge, EBL and WBL; Taff Creek Bridge, EBL; and Kent Bridge Road Underpass
• Rehabilitation of the Malott Div. Drain Culvert (Site 13-398/C), Sinclair Drain Culvert (Site 13-399/C), Deary Drain Culvert (Site 13-400/C), McPhail Drain Culvert (Site 13-404/C), Enos Smith Drain Culvert (Site 13-405/C), Mull Drain Culvert (Site 13-406/C), McKoy Drain Culvert (Site 13-407/C), Alexander (Scafe) Drain Culvert (Site 13-408/C), Campbell-Leatherdale Drain Culvert (Site 13-409/C), Harrison Drain Culvert (Site 13-410/C), Whitman Drain Culvert (Site 13-412/C), Crouch Drain Culvert (Site 13-413/C), Buller Drain Culvert (Site 13-414/C), Buller Drain Culvert (Site 13-415/C), Grant Drain Culvert (Site 13‑416/C), and Cranberry Marsh Drain Culvert (Site 13-419/C)
• Replacement of the existing Gregory (Locke) Drain Culvert (Site 13‑401/C) on the EBL half of Highway 401, and rehabilitation of the culvert on the WBL half of Highway 401
• The development of environmental protection and mitigation, where required
• The development of a construction staging and traffic management plan, including associated ramp closures

Construction of Contract 1 improvements (GWP 3091‑12‑00) that included the westbound lanes from just east of Essex Road 42 interchange to the Merlin Road underpass was completed in the spring of 2016. Contract 2 construction (GWP 3086‑14‑00) including eastbound from just east of Essex Road 42 in the Town of Lakeshore to Drake Road and westbound from Merlin Road to Bloomfield Road in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is underway.

Construction of Contract 3 improvements (GWP 3102‑15‑00) that includes Highway 401 improvements from Essex Road 42, Essex County, easterly to Victoria Road, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, is expected to begin in 2018, subject to funding and approvals. 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. The eastbound ramps will be closed at the Kent Bridge Road interchange in 2018. A temporary full closure of Charing Cross Road at the Highway 401 underpass will occur from July 1 to September 30, 2018. The eastbound ramps at the Bloomfield Road interchange will be closed in 2019. The westbound on-ramp, and the Highway 401 WBL will be reduced to one lane at the Kent Bridge Road interchange in 2019.

Contract 3 will include the installation of High Tension Median Cable Barrier from just east of Essex Road 42 to Victoria Road.