Changes are coming at Highway 400 and McKay Road in south-end Barrie, but it’s a matter of when and what it will look like.
The area on either side of the McKay Road bridge includes farmland, a residential structure and Kell’s Garden City, which is a soil depot for the local company.
Landowners whose properties sit alongside the McKay Road bridge raised concerns Monday night at city council about land acquisition to make way for the installation of sanitary trunk sewer lines and water mains, as well as a potential future interchange which has been on the city's long-range radar for a few years.
The area is ripening for development. There's also a proposed residential development not far away, at McKay Road and Veteran’s Drive, to build 839 homes. The developer has applied for rezoning on the 86-acre parcel of land.
An interchange, which would be located between the Mapleview Drive and Innisfil Beach Road exits, has been on the radar for a while. The plan could also include a new bridge over the highway connecting Salem and Lockhart roads.
Kell’s Garden City owner Sam Guido said the “unique” facility is an “integral part” of his business, which has been operating there for more than eight years, including municipal contracts to provide various soil mixtures, as well as topsoil for the Friday Harbour Resort golf course in Innisfil, for example.
Guido said he understands the need for a possible interchange, widening and other work as the area is developed, but he also wants to see business there strive, although there is very little in the way of development at the moment.
He said he doesn't oppose an interchange, either, and in fact supports such a project, but just hopes it can be designed in a way to lessens the effect on his business.
“It’s not just vacant land,” said Guido, adding jobs and livelihoods are also involved.
Asif Mian, whose father owns land at the southeast and northwest corners in the area, also made a deputation to city council on Monday and discussed the design of a possible interchange.
“Both the on-ramps and off-ramps on being placed on our land, and there are other designs that require less space,” said Mian, who showed slides of other interchanges in hopes that a McKay Road design wouldn't affect his father’s properties more than is required.
“We are looking forward to working with the city to find a solution," Mian added.
Mayor Jeff Lehman noted the potential project's design is in its late stages.
Alvaro Almuina, with the city’s planning and building services department, said interchange design meets MTO criteria. He added the interchange could be modified in “very small ways,” but not significant changes.
The Ministry of the Transportation (MTO) deferred all of BarrieToday's questions about an interchange project to city officials, but added the MTO would have to approve an interchange.
The MTO's Valentina Stankovic used the newly opened Highway 400 at Line of 5 of Bradford West Gwillimbury as an example of a municipality leading the environmental assessment, detailed design and construction tender. However, the MTO would own and maintain the interchange upon its completion.
"Generally, after meeting certain conditions that include demonstrating that a new interchange is needed and that it will not negatively impact the safety and operations of the freeway, the ministry will allow the construction of a new interchange," she said. "However, the municipality is responsible for all costs associated with the project.
"In some cases, the ministry may request that the municipality include some freeway work in the contract, in which case the ministry finances that portion," Stankovic added.
The MTO has also said in the past that the new McKay Road bridge was designed and built to accommodate future Highway 400 widening and a possible interchange, although this matter is being pushed by the city.
This area of south-end Barrie was formerly part of Innisfil until the province granted almost 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres) of land to the City of Barrie effective Jan. 1, 2010, extending the city’s southern boundary. The city has since created the Hewitt’s Creek and Salem secondary plans, completed in December 2016, to map out development in the area.
