The Trafalgar and Dundas Corner Reopens This Fall, Then the Construction Switches Sides

Halton Region expects the Trafalgar Road entrance to the plaza at 330–400 Dundas Street East to reopen by the end of November 2026. Access to the Morrison Valley North Trail from Trafalgar is due to reopen at the same time. The notice that sets that date also says what happens next. Stage 4 rebuilds the west lanes and boulevard of Trafalgar Road, and it moves all traffic to the east side. For River Oaks, the west side is the side with the Hays Boulevard shopping.

In other words, the November reopening doesn't finish the job at this corner. It marks the halfway point, and the work then moves to the Hays Boulevard side.

What reopens, and why it took most of a year

Stage 3 began in early December 2025. It covers culvert replacement and rebuilding the road and boulevard on the east side of Trafalgar between Hays Boulevard and Dundas Street East. Since then, all traffic on that stretch has used the west side of the road, with two lanes open in each direction. The plaza's Trafalgar entrance has been closed. So have the east-side sidewalk and the trail connection. Pedestrians have been routed to a temporary walkway on the west side.

The closure lasted longer than first planned. In its June 17, 2026 Stage 3 update, Halton said the work had been "delayed due to unexpected issues during construction, including underground utility conflicts and archaeological findings," and moved the reopening to the end of November.

Through all of it, the plaza's businesses stayed open, with entry from Dundas Street East or Postridge Drive. The plaza holds a dense row of quick stops and sit-down spots:

• 330 Dundas Street East: Starbucks, Booster Juice, KFC and Freshii
• 350 Dundas Street East: Pur & Simple
• 360 Dundas Street East: Funky Thai and Turtle Jack's
• 380 Dundas Street East: Bagel Barn
• 390 Dundas Street East: A&W
• 400 Dundas Street East: Ivan's Kitchen

Once the entrance reopens, drivers heading north on Trafalgar can turn straight into these lots again, without the loop around through Dundas or Postridge.

The sequence Halton has published

The full stretch is Trafalgar Road between Hays Boulevard and Dundas Street East. Halton calls it Phase 2, Contract 1, and it runs through Wards 5, 6 and 7. Work started in March 2025. The project is split into stages, and Stage 5 is the last one. Here are the three stages that matter for this corner, as Halton describes them:

1. Stage 3, now finishing. Culvert replacement and rebuilding of the east lanes and boulevard. Traffic uses the west side.
2. Stage 4, next. Rebuilding of the west lanes and boulevard. All traffic moves to the east side, with two lanes kept in each direction.
3. Stage 5, final. Central median restoration, final paving and restoration work. Lane closures run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with one lane kept in each direction.

Building one side at a time is a deliberate choice. On its project page, Halton says this method keeps two lanes moving in each direction at peak hours. Rush-hour capacity should therefore look about the same in Stage 4 as it has all year. The change is the location of the barriers, which move from the Postridge side of the road to the Hays side.

Stage 5 is different. The midday closures down to one lane each way fall between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., which is when many weekday errands get done. Driving down Trafalgar for a mid-morning grocery run will likely be slower during the final stage than during either of the side-by-side stages.

Why Stage 4 lands on the River Oaks side

On this stretch, the west side of Trafalgar faces the SmartCentres Oakville North property. That centre is anchored by a Walmart Supercentre, and its tenants include Real Canadian Superstore, The Keg, Dairy Queen, Little Caesars and Mucho Burrito. Edo Japan lists its Oakville North restaurant at #101, 275 Hays Boulevard. Sunset Grill, Halibut House Fish & Chips, Osmow's Shawarma and In A Bowl are listed at 266 and 270 Hays Boulevard.

The corner is also adding a tenant. Oakville News reported on August 17, 2026 that Shake Shack has announced a location at 275 Hays Boulevard, in the plaza southwest of Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road. Two days later, CP24 reported that the company said the Oakville location was planned for 2026 but gave no specific opening date. If it opens on that schedule, a new restaurant will start trading on the side of Trafalgar that the construction moves to next.

Halton's notices give no start date for Stage 4. They also don't say whether any Trafalgar entrance on the west side will close while the west lanes are rebuilt. During Stage 3, closing the east-side entrance was the main disruption to shoppers. Halton has said that advance notice of closures or restrictions will come by letter, email, social media, road signs and updates to the project website. Halton has also named a Construction Ambassador for the project. Residents and businesses can reach the team at [email protected] or by calling 311.

The trail until the end of November

Closing the Trafalgar entrance didn't close the Morrison Valley North Trail. Halton states that the trail stays open, with no access to or from Trafalgar Road during construction. The Morrison Valley trail system runs south of Dundas Street and north of Iroquois Shore Road, between Eighth Line and Trafalgar Road. The north section connects to Postridge Park, Pondview Pond, Laurelwood Park and Glenville Park. Until the Trafalgar entrance returns, those four spots are the way in from the east.

For walkers coming from River Oaks, the route has meant crossing to the temporary walkway on the west side of Trafalgar and entering from the Postridge neighborhood instead of from Trafalgar itself. Halton says the trail entrance and the plaza entrance reopen together, so one date covers both.

The recent night work, and the longer timeline

Some of the work over the past few weeks has happened overnight. Halton's Notice of Night Work, listed on the project page under September 29, 2026, scheduled three nights during the week of September 28 or October 5. It scheduled two more nights during the week of October 12 or October 19. All of it ran between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., weather permitting, with no work on Saturday or Sunday evenings. The crews set up traffic control, removed and replaced hydrants, and painted lines. Halton said night work was used to reduce the overall impact on residents, commuters and businesses.

The June notice says Phase 2 work between Hays and Dundas is expected to be finished by fall 2026. Halton's project page lists 2030 as the projected completion of the full Phase 2 project. The same June notice that targets fall 2026 also lists Stage 4 and Stage 5 as future work, with no dates. That leaves the west side, the median and the final paving still to come after the November reopening. When the barriers move to the Hays side, that will be the next stage starting, not the project slipping.

For River Oaks, the most useful thing to know about the end of November is which side of the road comes next. The plaza on Dundas gets its Trafalgar entrance back, and the trail gets its Trafalgar access back. After that, the west lanes along Hays Boulevard are scheduled for reconstruction.

At Amy Bray & Associates, we follow the timing of work like this street by street. If you'd like to know how the changes at Trafalgar and Dundas affect your own home in River Oaks, request a Private Home Valuation and we'll go through it with you.