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Highway 400 bridge work leads to five-month closure on Fairview, Big Bay Point

Highway 400 crossing expected to create a more well-connected road system in the city, relieve congestion around nearby interchanges
2019-01-14 Construction 3 RB
Heavy equipment is silhouetted against the sun where a bridge is being built over Highway 400 connecting Harvie Road and Big Bay Point Road in this file photo. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

You'll need to find an alternate route if you use Fairview/Big Bay Point regularly to zip in and out of Barrie's south end. 

Portions of Fairview and Big Bay Point roads will be closed June 3 to Oct. 29 to allow for continued work on the Harvie Road/Big Bay Point crossing over Highway 400. 

Stew Patterson, the city's manager of construction, said the five-month closure is needed by the contractor to construct new embankments to raise Big Bay Point and Fairview approximately 11 metres from its current elevation to connect with the approach to the future bridge over Highway 400.

The closure extends from the Bayview Drive/Big Bay Point intersection to the west along Big Bay Point and then onto Fairview to south of the ONroute parking lot entrance. The intersection of Bayview Drive and Big Bay Point Road will remain open.

There will be detour routes on Burton Avenue, Yonge Street, Huronia Road and Bayview Drive. 

There are no businesses within the road-closure area, but those fronting Fairview Road, south of Little Avenue, will need to access their properties from the north, Patterson said.

The $45-million project is expected to create a more well-connected system of roads in the city, while also relieving congestion around the Essa Road and Maplview Drive interchanges.

The major construction associated with the crossing will commence this year, and the embankment construction on both sides of the highway is anticipated to be completed in 2019. Construction of the bridge structure is also expected to begin this year.

"They intend to have the abutments and the centre pier completed," Patterson said. 

Patterson said the "major elements" of the work to be done during the road closure also include constructing a new concrete culvert to connect Whiskey Creek where it crosses Fairview Road, as well as the the installation of sanitary, storm sewers and watermains.

Utility relocations are also nearing completion in the area, said Patterson. Enbridge has completed its work. Alectra has also relocated hydro poles on the east side of Highway 400 and are continuing on the west side of the highway. Bell, Rogers and other utilities have agreed to a schedule that does not impact the work associated with this closure.

For more information on the Highway 400 crossing project, click here.


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Raymond Bowe

About the Author: Raymond Bowe

Raymond is an award-winning journalist who has been reporting from Simcoe County since 2000
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