City staff solicit feedback on revamping Bayfield Street

Some changes could be coming to one of the busiest streets in Simcoe County.

On Monday evening, staff with the City of Barrie welcomed residents to the East Bayfield Community Centre for an overview of a project that is looking to revitalize many portions of Bayfield Street. As many residents rely on the thoroughfare during their travels, the public meeting served as an opportunity to both inform and listen.

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"We're doing this project just to address the significant travel demand on this corridor and to work with our partners at the province," said Brett Gratrix, a senior project manager with the City. "We need to provide adequate service levels on Bayfield Street to make the interchange works properly."

The planned project by the City will only begin once a separate project from the province is completed. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) plans to replace the Bayfield Street. interchange, moving from the current four-lane structure to a six-lane one.

As part of the City-led project, staff are currently looking at adding more traffic capacity and ensuring the area is safe for cyclists.

"Not only is there a complex stage of requirements to maintain access at a reasonable level, there's a significant amount of underground utilities as well that will need to be dealt with," said Gratrix. "So this will be a challenging project for both entities on their respective portions of Bayfield Street."

Throughout the planning process staff are investigating the feasibility of including physically separated cycling tracks as part of the revamped roadway.

Gratrix says staff have heard from multiple residents about a need for improved cycling infrastructure.

"Another issue that the public is interested in is adding cycling infrastructure, but they are also recognizing the challenges fitting that in the corridor given the width of the corridor," said Gratrix.

According to Gratrix, the timelines for both projects still need to be determined. Currently, the MTO-led initiative is set to start in 2026. The City will determine when its project will start based on the timeline and success of the provincially-led initiative.

In addition to Monday's gathering, staff have solicited feedback online. All feedback collected will be considered by staff, with updated project details expected to be unveiled at the next public meeting in spring 2025.