Plagued by months of delays and urban speed limits as they dealt with up to five construction projects, area commuters with jobs in the Greater Toronto Area may have clear sailing as a Christmas present.

It all depends on the weather, says Will Mackenzie, information officer for the provincial Ministry of Transportation's Central Region.

Asked for a status report on the four projects currently under way for Highways 10 and 410 between Orangeville and Brampton, Mr. Mackenzie said at least two and possibly three should be completed before winter weather bars further work.

The four projects as widening of Highway 10 between Orangeville and the northern outskirts of Caledon Village, a similar widening plus the installation of curbs, sidewalks and street lighting through the village, resurfacing of the highway between King Street and a point south of Forks of the Credit Road and the extension of Highway 410 between Mayfield Road and Highway 10 between Snelgrove and Caledon's Valleywood subdivision.

All four projects were to have been completed this fall, but of the three major construction jobs, the only one currently on schedule is Aecon Construction's work in Caledon Village. Mr. Mackenzie said that with the sidewalks and most of the paving finished and many of the new street lights already turned on, the Aecon crews "are currently working on surface course paving and pavement marking. Completion of the project is anticipated by end of October."

Similarly, work on the Highway 410 extension is proceeding well, with bad weather the only factor that could see the new freeway unavailable until next spring.

"The work is progressing although there have been major utility relocation delays since work started in late summer, 2007," Mr. Mackenzie said, adding that the ministry and contractor "have been working around the conflicts wherever possible."

Denying rumours that bridge work was causing delays, he noted that the reduced speed limit at the temporary Valleywood intersection on Highway 10 suggested by Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones has succeeded in reducing the accident frequency there. (The limit was cut to 60 km/h from 80.)

The signalized intersection will be removed when the 410/10 contract is completed.

"We are currently working on sewers, shoulders and paving along the mainline Highway 410," Mr. Mackenzie said, noting that the final stage of work yet to be done is at the new Hurontario/ Valleywood interchange.

Although signs still cite a fall 2009 completion, he said the ministry is working "toward contract completion in early Summer 2010, and possibly opening the highway this winter if weather permits."

He said the resurfacing work on Highway 10 by Graham Brothers started in August "and is proceeding ahead of schedule, with completion expected by November, weather permitting."

Ironically, the first of the three Highway 10 contracts let (also to Brampton-based Graham Bros.) is shaping up to be the last to be completed.

Construction work on the eight-kilometre stretch started two years ago, and a lot of work remains to be done in the Credit River flats south of Orangeville, where the contract includes widening of the two bridges over the notionally navigable river.

Mr. Mackenzie traced the long delays in the project to "two major issues related to the bridges across the Credit River," which both involved the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).

He said the "existing site conditions revealed during construction necessitated re-design requiring DFO's approval," and there were "piling problems during construction that had to be resolved in compliance with DFO's inwater work restrictions."

Graham Bros. is currently working on paving and doing the remaining work on the bridges, "with completion by the end of November, weather permitting."

Anyone driving past the two bridges recently would have noticed that while only some concrete restoration work is required on the old southern bridge before it is resurfaced, the northerly bridge appears to be months behind schedule, with no concrete yet poured on the bridge's central section.

Mr. Mackenzie said that although widening of the roadway has been completed south of the flats and the pavement markings long since completed, the Ministry has decided to permit only one lane of traffic in each direction and the 60 km/h limit retained until all the remaining work has been completed.

This had been decided upon "in order to maintain traffic continuity and avoid lane drops at the bridges."

The fifth construction project slowing most Toronto-bound commuters is the widening of Mayfield Road between Dixie Road and the eastern edge of Snelgrove. That Peel Region project has the same 60 km/h speed restriction found on the four MTO projects.