After four years and $76 million, the bridge over Highway 400 in south-end Barrie, connecting Harvie Road to Big Bay Point Road, opened last week and also had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman, along with local MPPs Andrea Khanjin (Barrie-Innisfil) and Doug Downey (Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte), celebrated the opening on Monday, which included a brief video showing aerial footage of the new bridge.
The project is anticipated to not only help relieve south-end congestion, Lehman noted in the video, but will also accommodate future growth.
With five lanes of vehicular traffic, two separated bike lanes and two sidewalks, it will serve as an opportunity to have both vehicular and active transportation options in the south end of the city. It was also designed to accommodate any potential widening of Highway 400 in the future.
Khanjin, who used to live in the south end of the city, said most of the residents she speaks with have pointed to ways to ease commuting as being at the top of the list when asked what could bring relief to their day-to-day-lives.
“Whether it’s increasing Go Transit, creating more options like we are doing in downtown Barrie with the transit hub, or whether it’s expanding Highway 400, what’s been on the minds of many in the south end as it continues to grow is Harvie Road and Big Bay Point and that entire artery,” she said.
“We think about arteries in our health-care system and how important it is to keep those moving and healthy, but just as important is we need to get people moving on the roads so they spend less time in traffic… and life is just a little easier," she added. "This improvement, it’s not just a smooth drive, it’s peace of mind that you have.”
The bridge, noted Lehman, is the first new connection across Highway 400 inside the city limits in 60 years.
“The connection is so important because between every other set of interchanges in Barrie… there are other ways to get across Highway 400. There was never a connection in the south end,” he said.
After what was initially called the Molson Park Drive diamond interchange was constructed, the area grew extremely quick and blossomed into a major commercial district.
But despite that, Lehman said there was no other way to get from east to west across the south end of Barrie.
“Today there is and that is this bridge,” he said. “While the bridge was constructed as a bridge, there was forethought given in its design to the potential for it to be a future interchange. Land has been protected on the four corners of the bridge, which would allow the construction of ramps in the future, and that’s an ongoing discussion with the ministry.
"We are planning ahead … to handle the potential growth in the city," the mayor added.
Another key design feature is the integration of bike lanes and proper sidewalks.
“Back in the day, these bridges really weren’t built with anything but cars in mind. Anybody who has tried to cross (them) will know it’s a narrow sidewalk and there’s certainly no consideration given to cycling. Today that is much different," Lehman said.
Whether it was the growth in the 1980s and '90s that created the conditions in the first place or the growth that is coming, Lehman said looking to the future was important throughout the project.
“We’ve been able to have it open for a few days and people have been able to begin finding it and adjusting their mental maps, but as more traffic uses it… hopefully council will have helped deliver on our key priorities to make it easier to get around the City of Barrie," he said.
The bridge opened last Thursday evening (June 24) to its first motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
