Plan your late-night drive accordingly because Highway 400 through Barrie will be closed in both directions overnight as crews demolish the Sunnidale Road bridge.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) says the highway's northbound and southbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 until 8 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20.
The highway will be closed at the Dunlop Street and Bayfield Street on- and off-ramps on either side of the bridge.
Not only will motorists be forced to exit and re-enter Highway 400 on the other side of the closure, local drivers can also expect more vehicles on city streets.
The bridge is being torn down as work continues on highway widening as well as a replacement span for Sunnidale Road. It will be a larger structure, including new sidewalks and a wider bridge deck to improve traffic operations and active transportation such as bicycle lanes, according to the City of Barrie.
The Sunnidale bridge project includes significant roadwork on Highway 400, from Anne Street to Bayfield Street. The existing crossing is closed from Shirley Avenue to Wellington Street West for the full duration of construction.
The new Sunnidale Road bridge over Highway 400 will be built at a later date. The city's estimated completion date is the end of 2024.
Barrie drivers are certainly no strangers to bridge work in the city.
There are currently ramp closures in place around Essa Road, where construction is well underway.
The MTO also demolished the Anne Street bridge over Highway 400 in early June 2021 in order to build a replacement. The bridge closure was originally anticipated to last approximately 18 months, or until November 2022, but weather delayed the project. It didn’t open until June 2, 2023.
For more information on the city's Sunnidale Road bridge project, click here.
More information from the MTO about its bridge projects in Barrie can be found here.
