Barrie’s much-anticipated and ready-to-build Bryne Drive extensions are off the back burner.
Details in the city’s capital budget show two projects with a combined value of $31.7 million.
“The expansion of Bryne Drive is an extremely important capital expansion into the city’s road infrastructure,” said Coun. Gary Harvey. “It’s tied to several other capital investments in the city’s south end, with a new subdivision already planned for the west side of Bryne, south of Harvie Road, and several commercial properties on the east side facing Highway 400.
“This will also give residents, when they are on the west side of the 400, another major north-south arterial road to travel as opposed to pushing through the usual Mapleview/400 congestion,” he added. “As a result, it will help ease congestion, as did Harvie Road after the bridge opened up.”
Bryne Drive’s south extension will be a new five-lane road between south of Harvie and just north of Caplan Avenue, 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 Road 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 crossing.
As for the project’s financial details, $6.86 million has already been approved, with the remainder of the $15-million project to be spent between now and 2025, although the project’s estimated completion date is December 2024.
Bryne Drive’s northern extension remains in the design stage. It, too, will be five lanes, with bike lanes and sidewalks between Harvie and south of Essa Road.
This is a $16.7-million project, with funding shown in the capital budget until 2027.
This link is to help direct traffic to the Harvie Road crossing over Highway 400 and away from the Essa Road and Mapleview Drive interchanges.
The Harvie-Big Bay Point-Highway 400 bridge — referred to as the Harvie crossing by most people — 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.
The $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.
