WM, Ontario Premier officially opens natural gas plant in Watford
High temps behind Canada Day 402 road problem
July 4, 2026
Heather Wright/The Independent
The Ministry of Transportation has confirmed the extreme heat causing the concrete on Highway 402 near the Oil Heritage Road exit to buckle again.
Around 5 pm Canada Day, Lambton OPP closed the westbound lanes of the highway at Reece’s Corners “due to hazardous road conditions.”
Traffic was directed down London Line to get back on Highway 402 at Mandaumin Road until Friday at 8:30 am.
The temperature in Lambton between 3 and 4 pm Wednesday reached 34 C according to Environment Canada records.
It’s not the first time the roadway has buckled during extreme weather. Last June, the same stretch of the 402 was closed when the road heaved in extreme heat in approximately the same spot. In July 2025, another piece of the highway on the eastbound side between Airport and Mandaumin Road was damaged in the heat. Extreme heat in 2019 also lead to the road cracking.
After the June 2025 event, the Ministry of Transportation put a sealant the roadway and said the roadway would have a more extensive fix in the fall.
The MTO did not respond to The Independent’s questions about whether that more permanent fix happened or why the concrete stretch seems more susceptible to the heat.
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