Slowly but surely, Barrie’s Bryne Drive is being extended.
Its south extension, from Harvie Road toward Caplan Avenue, is well underway, with underground infrastructure construction the main area of focus.
Watermain construction is expected to be complete in early December. Any details of temporary water shut-offs will be communicated directly with those affected, according to the city.
Winter traffic-control measures will be implemented. Traffic will be restored to its original configuration, subjected to temporary lane shifts and lane closures controlled by traffic-control workers to facilitate construction.
Access to all businesses along Bryne Drive will remain open. Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously when travelling through construction zones.
Bryne Drive’s south extension will be a new five-lane road between south of Harvie Road and just north of Caplan Avenue, with four travelling lanes and a centre paved median.
There will be water mains along with sanitary and storm sewers constructed as well.
This project also includes on-road, buffered bike lanes, sidewalks on both sides of Bryne, a realigned old and new Bryne Drive intersection, along with improved drainage and stormwater management.
The Harvie/Big Bay Point crossing over Highway 400 was built to reduce traffic congestion in Barrie’s south end and to accommodate planned growth there.
The connecting section of Bryne Drive is required to accommodate that growth and increased traffic demand created by the Harvie Road crossing.
The Bryne Drive south extension project’s estimated completion date is December 2024.
Bryne Drive’s northern extension, meanwhile, remains in the design stage. It will also be five lanes, with bike lanes and sidewalks between Harvie and south of Essa Road.
This link is to help direct traffic to the Harvie Road crossing over Highway 400 and away from the Essa Road (where significant construction work is also currently underway) and Mapleview Drive interchanges.
The north extension is expected to begin in 2026.
The Harvie-Big Bay Point-Highway 400 crossing — often referred to as the Harvie bridge — was completed in early summer 2021. It connects Harvie Road to Big Bay Point Road across the 400. The bridge has five lanes for vehicle traffic, two separate lanes for bicycles and two sidewalks for pedestrians.
This $76-million bridge can handle 20,000 vehicles a day and is designed to significantly reduce traffic volumes on Essa Road, Mapleview Drive and other streets in the area.
