Drivers may need to pump the brakes while travelling through certain stretches of Bradford as the town, county and province all have projects scheduled for the annual road work season that drivers know so well.
In Bradford, the town took advantage of a warmer spring to complete road rehabilitation projects already, but there’s still other ongoing reconstruction works which may result in temporary road closures or restrictions along:
- Miller Park Avenue between Holland Street and south of Magani Avenue
- Agar Avenue between Melbourne Drive and Miller Park Avenue
- The length of Davey Boulevard
- Line 8 between County Road 4 (Yonge Street) and Sideroad 10
While some construction may begin this year on Drury, Mary and Thomas streets, development and engineering services director Peter Loukes explained the majority of work is scheduled for next year.
A similar timeline is anticipated for Fred Cook Drive, but Loukes said staff were also looking at ways to reduce costs through options to combine the tender for that project with work planned for 2025 and 2026 on Luxury and Kulpin avenues.
“The exact date and time of these projects is subject to council approval,” he said via email.
If all goes well, Terry Foran, director of community services, said crews are expected to break ground July 1 on Celebration Square, beside the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, with the project expected to be complete sometime in June 2025. But Foran doesn’t anticipate any road closures as a result.
The town also has ongoing seasonal projects including: crack sealing, micro surfacing, line marking, rural road re-gravelling, gravel road dust control and sidewalk repairs.
Outside of road work the town has also scheduled road closures for events throughout the year.
When it comes to road projects from the County of Simcoe, the main focus within Bradford is the expansion of Yonge from south of Line 9 to north of Line 10.
The project is set to include widening from two to four lanes, traffic signals and turning lanes at Line 9, a culvert replacement at Line 10, construction of an active transportation multi-use trail, and also drainage and roadside safety enhancements.
The county anticipates putting the project out to tender shortly, according to Brandon Maron, public relations consultant, and expects construction to run from mid August until late November, when work is scheduled to break for the winter before starting up again in May next year.
In the meantime, construction recently began at the intersection of Yonge and Line 4 (Killarney Beach Road) in Innisfil.
The project includes reconstructing the intersection to add turning lanes and traffic signals, as well as upgrading storm sewers and retaining walls.
Work is expected to continue into late November before final paving and line painting in spring of 2025.
Other nearby projects include Phase 2 of work on County Road 21 (Innisfil Beach Road) between Yonge and County Road 54 in Innisfil.
Intended to improve traffic, the project includes widening the road from two to four lanes, storm water enhancements, and an active transportation multi-use trail that will link Alcona to the Innisfil municipal campus and extend to the intersection of Industrial Park Road with Commerce Gate.
The project is expected go to tender soon and anticipated to run from July to late November before a similar winter break and restart in May next year.
In addition to ongoing work on Yonge north of Line 8 as part of the Bradford Bypass project, the province also anticipates work on Highway 400 near Line 12 as well as work to rehabilitate the bridge over Line 13 — both of which are expected to begin in late summer and come with off-peak hour lane closures.
While details can’t yet be revealed, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation anticipates more announcements for nearby projects in the coming weeks, according to Dakota Brasier, senior communications advisor and press secretary.
Anyone driving through the affected areas might want to consider packing some extra patience, and for more information travellers can call 511 or visit 511on.ca.
