New highway construction to start soon in Ontario
Published July 17, 2024 at 1:08 pm
Work is starting soon on a new highway in Ontario.
The province announced today (July 17) that it has awarded a contract for a new interchange that will connect Highway 400 and the future Bradford Bypass.
The Bradford Bypass is a new, 16.3-kilometre highway that will extend from Highway 400 between 8th Line and 9th Line in Bradford West Gwillimbury (Simcoe County), cross a small portion of King Township and will connect to Highway 404 between Queensville Sideroad and Holborn Road in East Gwillimbury (York).
The construction contract was awarded to Dufferin Construction Company and includes building part of a southbound lane on Highway 400 that will connect to the new Bradford Bypass.
The new interchange at Highway 400 and Simcoe County Road 88 and a new southbound lane on Highway 400 will connect to the future Bradford Bypass.
The contract also includes the reconstruction of the Highway 400-Simcoe County Road 88 interchange and its underpass bridge, widening Simcoe County Road 88 from two to four lanes and widening the Highway 400 platform to accommodate future expansion to 10 lanes, according to a press release from the Ministry of Transportation.
Construction begins this summer, the release states.
“Our government is delivering on its promise to build the Bradford Bypass, expand our highway network and get people where they need to go,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, minister of transportation. “Combined with the widening of Highway 400, these investments will help tackle gridlock, shorten travel times, and drive economic growth.”
While Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York-Simcoe, said the people of York-Simcoe have been asking for the Bradford Bypass for nearly 50 years, environmental and farm protection organizations such as the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition have protested the highway expansion.
The bypass and Highway 413 will destroy significant wetlands and forests, and won’t ease traffic, environmental groups have argued.
Research shows when highways are expanded or added more vehicles typically fill up the extra capacity that has been created.
For more information on the highway expansion plans, see the province’s website here.
Lead photo: Giorgio Galeotti
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