Summer of construction well underway in Barrie
The summer of construction is well underway in Barrie, and a new project may cause some congestion.
According to the City of Barrie, Mapleview Drive East from Madeleine Drive to Yonge Street will undergo construction this month.
“The contractor will be working around August 9th, and it will impact traffic to one lane from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and after 7 p.m., and on weekends, it will be back to two lanes of traffic,” says Tawnya Gurchin, the city’s manager of development and special projects.
The city is warning drivers that the work may cause significant traffic, and its encouraging motorists to use alternative routes.
According to the city, Barrie Transit route 8 will be on detour for the duration of the project.
“The project will be completed in three years,” said Gurchin.
Once completed, the project is intended to increase the traffic capacity, improve the efficiency of both the sanitary and watermain infrastructure and enhance the storm sewer runoff quality, said the city.
This is just one of several projects taking place this summer in Barrie.
The city says the Belle Farm road reconstruction project, which is intended to widen the road from St. Vincent Street to Duckworth Street, is on schedule.
“It is phased over two years, and the contractor is on the section between St. Vincent Street and Alliance Blvd., east, which is across from Mom’s restaurant,” said Adam Kiley, the manager of linear infrastructure projects for the city of Barrie.
Kiley hopes to have the road open to traffic by Labour Day.
Another project the city is tending to is the watermain replacement on Blake Street, and the city said it is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2021.
The Anne Street Bridge replacement project has been underway since May, and for families living near downtown Barrie, they are raising concerns that their neighbourhoods have become unofficial detours.
On Tuesday, Graham and Wendy Harkness, who live on Henry Street, said they moved to Barrie from Toronto to escape the traffic and noise, but things on their once quiet street have changed in recent months.
“When he hit here, he was doing 70 to 80 km/h in a little Honda,” said Graham Harkness.
“With no stop streets, it has become Indy 500,” said his wife, Wendy.
The Harkness family said that many drivers have cut through Henry Street using excessive speeds, with the bridge closed to traffic.
“There’s nothing to let them know, and that’s why the traffic just has a hay day,” said Harkness.
There is a single speed bump on Henry street, but it doesn’t appear to be slowing down some drivers.
The city told CTV News Barrie that the bridge replacement is a Ministry of Transportation project, but they will look into additional safety measures on Henry Street.
“We will review that. That’s the first time we’ve heard of complaints, but if required, we will implement more safety measures,” said Gurchin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.