Access denied.
The yellow barricades went up Tuesday in downtown Barrie along parts of Dunlop Street East for a massive reconstruction project.
The fences are in place from Poyntz Street, near Sam Cancilla Park, to and including the Mulcaster Street intersection. Farther west, road-closure signs block access from Owen Street at Memorial Square toward Mulcaster.
Local traffic, as well as emergency vehicles, can still gain access to the area if required.
All businesses also remain open and there is still pedestrian access around the perimeter of the street work.
Phase 1A of construction, which runs from Sept. 9 to Nov. 8, sees Dunlop Street East closed from Poyntz to Owen streets, with Phase 1B to follow, tentatively set for the spring of summer of 2020.
The second phase, which goes from Owen to Bayfield streets and includes the Five Points intersection, is tentatively set for the summer or fall of 2020. Work will be done on Dunlop Street, from Bayfield to Toronto streets, on a block-by-block basis.
The work along Dunlop Street includes replacement of aging infrastructure, expanding sidewalks and overall beautification of the downtown street. Several new residential and commercial projects have been proposed in recent months and the work also ties in with the Downtown Commercial Master Plan.
Heavy equipment was being brought into the site on Tuesday afternoon by Arnott Construction as work begins to ramp up.
The Downtown Barrie BIA is hosting a 'Meet the Construction Team' on Wednesday, Aug. 21 beginning at 8 a.m., for anyone who has questions about the project. The meeting is being held at the Sandbox Centre, located on the second floor of the Barrie Transit terminal at 24 Maple Ave. There will be city officials as well as representatives from the BIA and the construction company.
Starting Sept. 9, there will also be free parking, for a maximum of two hours, on the fourth floor of the Collier Street Parkade.
For more information and updates, visit barrie.ca/DigDowntown.
