Construction season underway across Barrie

It's that time of the year when more and more orange pylons pop up around the city. Construction season has begun with a few road work projects already underway.

"I know for residents it can be a bit frustrating," says City of Barrie Director of Infrastructure Sherry Diemert.

"But we appreciate their patience in the work that's happening, and there's a lot of great projects for renewal and growth of the city," she added.

Construction of Bell Farm Road resumed this week. Work includes watermain replacement, storm sewer construction and roadway widening. It's expected to be completed by late October.

"The project involves replacement of the whole road structure. It used to have ditches, so we're adding the sidewalks and urbanizing the road," says Diemert.

Work has also begun on Big Bay Point Road between Huronia Road and Bayview Drive. New curbs and sidewalks are going in, including an improved drainage system and more lighting. The estimated cost of the project is around 9 million dollars.

"For those people experiencing delay on Big Bay Point (Road), I would encourage them to use other similar roads like Little Avenue and Mapleview Drive that both have relatively easy access to Highway 400," says Supervisor of Traffic Operations & Community Safety Jeff Sharp.

Your commute through the south end of Barrie will also change this spring. Another upcoming project is construction on McKay Road West and Veterans Drive to support new municipal infrastructure.

"The road will be closed until November 2023. So it's quite a long road closure, but it is to help support growth in the south end of Barrie," says Diemert.

"Drivers are obviously frustrated when they have to encounter delays due to the construction season," says Sharp.

"So it's not uncommon for residents to reach out, and I encourage people if they need more information or are experiencing delays to contact the city of Barrie," he adds.

Along with these three projects, several others are already underway or set to begin this spring and summer. If you want to learn more about construction in the city, click here for the complete list of projects.