A rash of major delays along Highway 401 on Tuesday have OPP reminding drivers to pack their patience in construction zones.

The westbound lanes of the highway are closed for construction from Merlin Road to County Road 42, while one lane of traffic is moving in each direction in the eastbound lanes.

But three separate incidents caused long traffic delays and even forced the closure of the highway at various times of the day.

Just before 8:30 a.m., two vehicles collided near the Tilbury On Route Service Centre when a Jeep braked to avoid colliding with a tractor trailer that made a sudden lane change.

The Jeep was struck from behind by a Dodge Caravan sending the driver of each vehicle to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Then shortly after 1 p.m., a wide-load escort vehicle became stuck in the westbound lane, prompting the closure of the highway for two hours to remove the vehicle.

Finally, just before 4 p.m., police responded to a tractor trailer that broke down the the westbound lane, again causing a long traffic delay.

No charges were laid as a result of any of the incidents.

With construction expected to continue through November 2015, Chatham-Kent OPP is urging motorists to be patient and allow plenty of room between vehicles.

"We'd like to urge and remind motorists to keep at least half a tank of fuel if they're planning on going through the construction zone. Because there are times, for whatever reason, traffic will come to a stop and they will be in that stopped position for some time."