If you regularly drive along Kingston Road in Pickering or Ajax, the next two years could look very different. Major construction is already underway in Ajax, and extended lane restrictions are scheduled to begin in Pickering in late October 2026.
These changes are part of the Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit project, which aims to improve transit connections across Durham Region and into Toronto. But before those improvements arrive, residents and businesses will need to navigate construction, changing traffic patterns and, eventually, new turning restrictions.
Here’s what’s happening, what remains uncertain and what it could mean if you’re buying, selling or living near Kingston Road.
What the Durham-Scarborough BRT will build
The Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit line is planned as a corridor of about 36 kilometres connecting Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and Scarborough. Buses will run in their own lanes in the centre of the road, separated from traffic, and stop at median platforms with shelters at major intersections. Durham Region says the corridor is expected to provide two-way service every five minutes and save transit riders about 20 minutes on trips along the corridor.
The project is more than bus lanes. The sections the Region is building include new pavement, traffic signals with dedicated bus movements, cycle tracks set back from the road, wider accessible sidewalks, lighting and landscaping, and in several places new watermains or sewers underneath.
One change drivers will notice: a barrier curb down the centre of the road. According to the Region, left turns and U-turns will be made at signalized intersections during protected signal phases.
The Region is building this first phase through Ajax and Pickering, with funding support from the federal and provincial governments through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Where construction stands in Ajax and Pickering
| Section of Kingston Road | Municipality | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 300 m west of Harwood Ave to Galea Dr | Ajax | Under construction since August 2025; expected to finish in early summer 2027 |
| Rotherglen Rd to 300 m west of Harwood Ave | Ajax | Under construction since April 2026; expected to finish by July 2027 |
| Steeple Hill to Merritton Rd | Pickering | Contractor on site since September 28, 2026; expected to finish by August 31, 2028 |
| Dixie Rd to Bainbridge Dr | Pickering | Next planned section; no construction start announced yet |
| Altona Rd to Steeple Hill, Merritton Rd to Dixie Rd, Bainbridge Dr to Notion Rd | Pickering | Timing to be determined |
Source: Region of Durham project pages, news releases and Report #2026-INFO-21. Dates can change with weather and construction progress.
In Ajax, the two active sections add about three kilometres of centre bus lanes, with median shelters in both directions at Westney Road, Chapman Drive and Ritchie Avenue, Harwood Avenue and Salem Road. The Region’s October 20 update says work at those intersections, including some isolated reductions to one lane, continues until late spring 2027, when the new permanent lane layout goes in. That layout includes offset left-turn lanes and fully protected left-turn signals.
What drivers and transit riders in Pickering should expect
The Region’s September 23 notice sets out two stages for the Steeple Hill to Merritton Road section:
- Late October 2026 to summer 2027: Kingston Road will be reduced to one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes for an extended period, to make room for major wastewater construction.
- Late 2027: Kingston Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction at the Whites Road and Fairport Road intersections for longer periods, while the new transit platforms are built.
Bus service continues through construction, and the Region says routes, sidewalks and businesses will stay open. That does not mean every bus stop stays exactly where it is: individual stops may be temporarily moved or adjusted while work happens around them. Check Durham Region Transit for current stop changes in each construction zone, and the Region’s TrafficWatch map (durham.ca/TrafficWatch) for current road restrictions.
What is still unknown: service dates and funding
When buses will run in the new lanes. Finishing construction on a section is not the same as buses running on it, and stations will not open to the public until service launches. Durham Region Transit has told the Region’s Transit Advisory Committee that it expects service in the new lanes through Ajax, from Westney Road to Salem Road, to begin in fall 2027, according to insauga.com’s September 2026 report on that update. No service date has been published for Pickering.
When the rest of Pickering will be built. Three Pickering sections still have no construction timing, and the next planned one, Dixie Road to Bainbridge Drive, has no announced start date yet.
The Toronto end. Metrolinx says construction in Toronto would proceed when funding is available.
TMG Perspective
A project like this changes a corridor slowly. Here are three practical things to keep in mind.
Construction disruption is temporary, but the timeline matters. Two years can feel long when it is your daily drive or the road outside your front door. If you are buying, ask whether you would be living with the work for most of your first years in the home, and whether that fits your commute and routine. If you are selling, buyers will see the road as it is today, not as it will be when it is finished. If you are staying put, it is easier to plan around the work than to wait it out.
Location convenience and property access are not necessarily the same thing. A property may benefit from being close to future rapid transit while becoming less convenient for drivers because of changes to turning movements. For buyers, that means looking beyond the distance to a future transit stop and considering how the property will actually be accessed.
Future transit improvements should not be treated as guaranteed property appreciation. You may hear that rapid transit will raise nearby property values. We have not seen local evidence that would let us say how much, when, or for which properties, and with no service date for most of the corridor it would be a guess. Future transit access is one consideration among many, alongside the property itself, the neighbourhood, market conditions and what matters most to you. A home near the corridor should still make sense on its own merits today.
Questions worth asking before you buy or sell
- How close is the home to an active construction section, and for how long? Look up the expected finish date for that section on the Region’s project page, and drive the route at rush hour to see what the trip is like right now.
- Could future road changes affect your daily routine? Consider driveway access, turning restrictions, transit-stop locations and the routes you use most frequently. These practical details may matter more to your day-to-day experience than simply being close to a future transit corridor.
- Does the home work with today’s commute? If faster transit is part of why you like a location, make sure the home still works with the commute you have today, since no service date has been set for Pickering.
- If you are selling, how will you describe the project? Describe it accurately: a transit project under construction, with service in Ajax expected in 2027 and no date yet for Pickering. Avoid wording that promises a finish date, a service date or a rise in value.
- If you are selling during construction, how will the home show? Buyers will judge the drive in and the view from the street as they are today. Showing times outside rush hour and clear directions, if turns or entrances have changed, can make a real difference.
Thinking about buying or selling in Pickering or Ajax?
Understanding local infrastructure changes is one part of making an informed real estate decision. I can help you evaluate a property’s location, access, surrounding market conditions and how these factors fit your plans.
Julie Marticorena, REALTOR®
The Marticorena Group | LPT Realty, Brokerage
julie@themarticorenagroup.com | (416) 526-3786 | https://themarticorenagroup.ca
Related reading: Bowmanville GO Extension: 4 New Stations, Construction Update & What Happens Next and Whitby GO Transit-Oriented Community: What’s Proposed and What Happens Next. More local coverage in our Local & Community archive.
About this article. Project scope, construction sections, dates and lane restrictions are from the Region of Durham: its Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit page, its project pages for Steeple Hill to Merritton Road, Rotherglen Road to Harwood Avenue and Harwood Avenue to Galea Drive, its news releases of September 23 and October 20, 2026, and Information Report #2026-INFO-21 (April 17, 2026). The expected Ajax service start is from Durham Region Transit’s update to the Transit Advisory Committee as reported by insauga.com (September 17, 2026). The Toronto funding status is from Metrolinx. Bus stop adjustment information is from Durham Region Transit. Information is current as of October 26, 2026 and is general information, not advice about a specific property.
About the author. Julie Marticorena is a REALTOR® with The Marticorena Group serving Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area. With more than 15 years of experience in financial services and a background in strategic planning, negotiation, and project management, Julie brings an analytical and organized approach to real estate. She focuses on education, transparency, and personalized guidance, helping buyers, sellers, and investors make informed real estate decisions with confidence. Julie is fluent in English and Spanish.
