Ontario Construction News staff writer
After a month-long delay due to snowy weather, Fairview Road has reopened in south Barrie.
Since the closure in June, crews replaced sanitary sewers and water mains and worked to raise Fairview Road by 11 metres in preparation of the new $46 million Harvie Road/Highway 400 overpass.
This work is part of the ongoing Harvie Road bridge project. Once plans for the area are complete, there will be improvements made to Harvie, Big Bay Point, Fairview and several nearby intersections. The Highway 400 overpass will have two lanes in each direction, a two-way left turning lane and sidewalks. Bike lanes are also included.
The city estimates that, on average, 13,000 vehicles travel Fairview Road each day. The road closures and detours caused a constant state of gridlock.
The long-term plan is for Fairview Road to transition from two lanes to five – two in each direction and a turning lane. More closures as crews connect the Harvie Road overpass.
City officials say construction on the Harvie Road overpass is on time and budget and expected to be completed by October 2020.
Site preparation began with tree removal last spring. The city has also received approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry regarding potential species-at-risk.
Archaeological reports were reviewed by the Huron Wendat and have been submitted for approval to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
The next steps include finalizing and tendering for additional site preparation, including the building of access roads to allow for utility relocations this spring.
The Harvie Road connection is one of many transportation projects planned or underway in Barrie, including:
- construction of the Highway 400/Tiffin Street bridge
- a redesigned intersection at Bayview Drive and Big Bay Point Road, which will be included in the Harvie Road tender
- connecting Bryne Drive between Essa Road and Caplan Avenue
- Essa Road, from Anne Street to Bryne Drive, to be co-ordinated with the MTO’s Essa Road interchange project expected to begin in 2021