Shovels in the Ground for Harvie Road Bypass
It’s about to get much easier get around in Barrie as shovels go in the ground to start work on the Harvie Road bypass.
The City of Barrie is focused on building a city that is ready for the future and managing growth well, and the Harvie Road crossing project breaking ground this week is a step toward that. This critical infrastructure development will benefit current and future residents.
Says Mark Faris, CEO and Broker of the Faris Team, “This bypass will greatly help accessibility of residents in the south end of Barrie, allowing for time savings and less frustrations. Once the project is complete, I think we all will breathe a sigh of relief.”
The City of Barrie has seen tremendous growth over recent years as it has rapidly gained popularity as an affordable and enjoyable place to live. It is the perfect location for commuters just an hour north of the GTA with easy access to cottage country and beautiful Lake Simcoe right in our own backyard.
The Harvie Road crossing project will see a connection of Harvie R0ad to Big Bay Point Road with a bridge crossing over Highway 400. This expansion will provide a generous five lane roadway between Veterans Drive and Bayview Drive. The end stage is foreseen to offer a tremendous seven lanes with buffered bike lanes and sidewalks between Bryne Drive and Bayview Drive along with the potential for a future Highway 400 interchange. All this to the tune of an estimated $45 million budget allocated by the City.
“This project is required in part to reduce existing traffic congestion within the city and to support growth in Barrie’s south end,” says Stew Patterson, Manager of Construction in the City of Barrie’s Engineering Department.
Alongside this expansion will come the connection of Bryne Dr between Mapleview Drive and Essa Road, two of the city’s heaviest travelled roads. Adding cross-traffic throughways like Harvie Road and Bryne Drive will enhance the flow of traffic and ease the strain on these main arteries.
Projects of this size and scale do not happen overnight, but take years of careful consideration and preparation. Initial planning commenced towards the end of 2015 with environmental assessments performed. This set the wheels in motion for MTO approvals, drafting, archaeological and drainage studies throughout 2016 and 2017. Tree clearing and landscape preparation were completed in March of this year which now sets the scene for utility relocations to begin in June. The construction of utility access roads start this week.
Says Patterson, “The major structure work over the highway will occur mainly in 2019 and 2020 with the crossing expected to be open to traffic in the fall of 2020.”