Good luck getting around all the road construction in Central Lambton in the next few weeks.

Traffic is extremely heavy in Reeces Corners today as drivers are being diverted off Highway 402 between Oil Heritage Road and Mandaumin Road.

Late last night, the OPP closed the road down saying the conditions were unsafe. An OPP post on social media said it appears the extreme heat was part of the problem.

While the OPP is not saying exactly what happen, an unverified photo circulating on social media shows a section of the concrete portion of the road cracked and heaving right across the eastbound lanes.

As of 8:30 am, there was only one Ministry of Transportation pickup truck at the scene. The OPP say the traffic may have to be detour for a “lengthy period of time.”

So far, the MTO has not commented on the road failure, when the fix will begin and how long it may take.

This is not the first time this has happened. In June 2019, the MTO was forced to implement alternating lane closures near Oil Heritage Road for heaving concrete. At the time, MTO officials said the rubberized sealants which allows concrete to expand may expand so much in extreme heat that the concrete buckles.

Any lengthy road closure could make driving in Central Lambton a headache. Aside from the road conditions of the 402, the County of Lambton is getting ready to fix Mandaumin Road between Churchill and London Line – part of the road is already closed for a culvert replacement today until Wednesday.

Traffic on Petrolia Line near Forest Road is also expected to be slow as county crews use a pace vehicle to get drivers around the road resurfacing project on Petrolia Line between Forest Line and Little Ireland Road.

Drivers trying to get around the traffic heading up either Lasalle or Churchill will run into construction on Nauvoo Road where the county will again be using a pace vehicle to get traffic through a resurfacing project from the south end of Watford to Lasalle Line.