Detour Routes

The detour routes for this project were reviewed by the Municipality of Thames Centre, County of Middlesex and local emergency services during the Preliminary Design stage of the project. These routes were deemed suitable for the increase in traffic, as other alternatives increased the travel distance and were not suitable to handle truck traffic. The detour routes were also identified in the TESR, which underwent a 30-day public comment period. Minor changes to the detour routes were identified during the Detailed Design phase through additional consultation with the previously mentioned stakeholders.

Dorchester Road Detour

In order to replace the Dorchester Road bridge, Dorchester Road will be closed at Highway 401 for a full construction season. Signage in place during construction will identify the local detour route along Elgin Road, Hamilton Road and Cromarty Drive to access Dorchester Road north. It is anticipated that a significant amount of local traffic will use other alternate routes and we anticipate local traffic will cross over the highway using Elgin Road or Westchester Bourne. This detour route will be in place for seven months in 2024.

Highway 401 Detour

Highway 401 will require short-term closures as a result of overhead bridge replacement works. This includes:

Overnight closures in Spring 2024 for the removal of the existing structure. During this work, highway traffic will be directed to use the existing Dorchester Road ramps to cross Dorchester Road.
Overnight closures in Summer 2024 for the placement of the new bridge girders. During this work, eastbound highway traffic will use the existing Dorchester Road ramps to cross Dorchester Road and westbound highway traffic will exit at Elgin Road, travel west on Cromarty Drive and north on Westchester Bourne where they can access the Highway 401 westbound on-ramp.

To minimize impacts to local residents, these short-term closures will occur at night when traffic volumes are generally at their lowest.