Summer is on it’s way which means summer vacation and also summer construction. Here are a few places that are heavy hitters and places to avoid if possible. Like always be careful and safe

ONTARIO

ONTARIO HWY 401 POINT LALONDE TO SOUTH LANCASTER

Expect delays up to 10 minutes.
Highway 401 – from 2.5 kilometres west of County Road 2 & 34 (Interchange 814) to the Quebec Border
Highway 401 Eastbound on ramp at 4th Line Road / County Road 23 (Interchange 825) closed until to June 7, 2023

OUTSIDE GLENDALE TO CORNWALL
Highway 401 – from 860 metres west of Moulinette Road (Interchange 778) to 300 metres east of Boundary Road (Interchange 796)
Highway 401 Eastbound on ramps at McConnell Avenue (Interchange 792) will be closed from 6:00 a.m. Monday, June 5 to 3:00 p.m. Friday,

401 – INTERCHANGE 687-705 TO WOODRIDGE
Highway 401 – from 3.1 kilometres west of Highway 2 (Interchange 687) to 2.3 kilometres east of Maitland Road (Interchange 705)
Recurring-Engineering Investigation on HWY 401 Eastbound between SHARPES LN/Kelly Rd, Brockville and MAITLAND RD
Highway 401 – from 2.6 kilometres west of to 2.6 kilometres east of Hallecks Road

401 TO JOHN F SCOTT RD. INTERSECTION TO WESTBROOK RD.
Highway 401 – from 1.4 kilometres east of Westbrook Road to 400 metres east of John F. Scott Road

401 -ONROUTE PORT HOPE TO WHITBY
Recurring-Moving Maintenance Closure on HWY 401 Westbound between BOUNDARY ROAD, Port Hope and HARMONY ROAD, Oshawa. 1 Alternating Lane(s).
Detailed closure information is as follows: SUN: 1st Lane Closed at 22:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00; MON: 1st Lane Closed at 19:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00; TUE: 1st Lane Closed at 19:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00; WED: 1st Lane Closed at 19:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00; THU: 1st Lane Closed at 19:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00;Recurring-Moving Maintenance Closure on HWY 401 Westbound between BOUNDARY ROAD, Port Hope and HARMONY ROAD, Oshawa. 1 Alternating Lane(s).

401-PICKERING TO SCARBOROUGH INTO TORONTO HEADING TO HORNBY
Construction on HWY 401 Eastbound between BROCK ROAD, Pickering and CHURCH ST, Ajax. 1 Right Lane(s).
Detailed closure information is as follows: ALL DAYS: 1st Lane Closed at 19:00, 1st Lane Opened at 05:00;
Construction on HWY 401 Westbound On-ramp at KENNEDY RD -SCARBOROUGH, Toronto. ALL LANES CLOSED.
Recurring-Construction on HWY 401 Eastbound Collector between BAYVIEW AVE and HWY 404, Toronto. 3 Alternating Lane(s).
Detailed closure information is as follows: THU: 1st Lane Closed at 22:00, 2nd Lane Closed at 22:00, 3rd Lane Closed at 22:30, 3rd Lane Opened at 05:30, 2nd Lane Opened at 06:00, 1st Lane Opened at 06:00; FRI: 1st Lane Closed at 23:00, 2nd Lane Closed at 23:00, 3rd Lane Closed at 23:59, 3rd Lane Opened at 07:00, 2nd Lane Opened at 08:00, 1st Lane Opened at 08:00;
Construction on HWY 407 ETR Eastbound Off-ramp at HWY 401, Halton Hills. ALL LANES CLOSED.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Bridge Repair on HWY-2 Westbound near Monseigneur Lang Road-Rte. 2 Overpass (North) M586. Width Restriction: 4.7m Activities: Be prepared to stop, One lane traffic, Reduced speed required.
Anticipated End Time Jul 3 2023, 12:13 PM

Bridge Inspection/Maintenance on HWY-2 Eastbound near Green River. Left Lane Closed. Width Restriction: 5.2m Activities: Be prepared to stop, One lane traffic, Reduced speed required.
Anticipated End Time Jun 20 2023, 7:01 PM

Under Construction on Principale Rue Southbound from Erables Ave to Pins St. Activities: One lane traffic, Reduced speed required, Traffic lights present.
Anticipated End Time Jun 12 2023, 8:00 AM

Highway 3 is often called the Crowsnest Pass in this particular part of the mountain it covers a small part of the highway on the BC/AB border. The highway is officially known as the Crowsnest Highway it was the first mountain road I ever drove; being a prairie boy, I naturally thought this was a heck of a mountain road. But, after a few years of pulling super b and tandem loads through BC’s northern and central highway network. Many drivers like myself have had the chance to see some of the greatest natural beauty of the lower east Kootenays from a highway.

The challenges that come with this eastern section of BC’s Crowsnest Highway are vacationers, truckers, local commuters, and maintenance vehicles that meet up with each other that causes a lot of stress on drivers with heavy traffic, tickets, collisions, and fatalities.

I have heard many experiences on that highway, from pushing snow with the bumper of a truck, cars exploding on impact, rollovers, and jack-knife trailers.
To help prevent these accidents one of the top 5 general rules a trucker should follow is never be going so fast that, if something appears on the road ahead of you, you need to be able to stop safely before hitting it.

One evening, I heard a story of a truck driver cruising around a curve on Crowsnest Highway #3, and right in front of him was a life-changing sight. A small car had stopped half on the shoulder and half in their lane. It was an undivided two-lane section of road, so there was little way to get around them without the driver going into the oncoming lane. It seemed that the car belonged to a small family, most of which were out of their vehicle. One adult was helping a small child use the bathroom on shoulder. The other adult was standing in the center of their lane taking pictures of the scenery, facing away from the traffic, totally unaware of what was to come upon them. Fortunately, the driver was traveling slow enough that he had ample time to bring his speed down and blast off the air horn quickly, then re-focused his attention to the but the driver’s view was the reality of a crashing steel, rubber, and asphalt. There was little drama and a lot of luck and the driver was able to slow to a crawl as the family as they got back into their car. Although the trucker avoided the crash and was in complete shock as he missed the crash and as he looked into the mirror on the side of the truck he saw nothing. They were gone like the change of the air in the evening it swallowed them up and lifted them away in the evening air.

I love hearing of such stories and tales of Canada’s highways, it always takes me away from what is reality and puts me into the place where reality and stories mix into one.

At the end of the day maybe the last thing you want to do is exercise….but, maybe this will let you have a better night’s sleep or destress your body a little. Even if you only do 1 or 2 of them it may help you a lot. With these easy stretches, you can do them in your truck or outside if you like, Just be careful not to overdo it.

Let us know if you have tried any of these at truckstopcanada.com We would love to hear from you, let us know any tricks you use to keep from having sore tired achy muscles at the end of your day!

1. Neck Stretches
Reaching over your head, grab the opposite ear and gently pull it towards the shoulder doing the reaching. This should relieve neck tension and upper shoulder tightness. Repeat with your opposite arm. The first time it may be hard but with time you will notice a bit of improvement

2. Hamstring Square
Facing your truck, press the heels of your hands against the truck, step back, and bend at the waist to form a right angle with your body and legs. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and your spine.

3. Wrist Bend
Bracing your fingers on the steering wheel, bend your wrists forward and backward—stretching your wrists and bringing life to your forearms. For an even deeper stretch, try lightly bending back each individual finger when your ready

4. Classic Lunge
With toes pointing in the same direction, take a large step forward with one leg. Bend your front leg at the knee and slowly sink your body down until comfortable, making sure not to let the front knee go beyond the front toes. Repeat, slowly, with the other leg, or try a walking lunge. For balance, try keeping your hands on your hips. If that is too much all at once take smaller steps

5. Arm Rotation
Standing beside your truck (facing the front or rear of the truck), place one palm, with fingers pointed up, against the side of your truck. With your arm extended and slightly bent, rotate your body away from the truck. You will feel the stretch in your arms and chest. Repeat with the opposite arm.

7. Chest Pull
Pressing both hands on your upper chest, bring your chin upwards and gently move your head away from your hands. You should feel a stretch in your upper chest and neck.

Until next time!