This three-phase project reconstructed Duckworth Street from Bell Farm Road to St. Vincent Street and also included a new watermain on Grove Street from Duckworth Street to Nelson Street. The project was a major infrastructure investment that improves road safety, active transportation, and critical underground services in Barrie’s east end.
The Duckworth Street work included new watermain, sewer replacements, and right-of-way improvements including, new sidewalks, new pavement, intersection upgrades, and road widening for bicycle lanes. The Grove Street work included new watermain, pavement and bicycle lanes.
This project was initiated in 2014 as a Class environmental assessment study to evaluate alternatives for implementing bike lanes and improved active transportation on Duckworth Street. The results of the EA were carried through into detailed design, which also included replacement of aging underground infrastructure and other infrastructure improvements.
Project Updates
August 26, 2025
Final pavement markings, including the new bike lanes on Duckworth Street and Grove Street East, are now complete, officially marking the project's completion. The City thanks local residents, businesses, and visitors for your patience and support throughout construction.
August 22, 2025
Paving was completed on Grove Street East from Duckworth to west of Nelson on August 21. Final pavement markings are scheduled to take place this evening (Friday, August 22). There will be intermittent interruptions at intersections and local roads to complete this work.
August 19, 2025
This morning, paving was completed on Nelson Street from Grove to Colleen and Sylvia Street from Grove to south of Bernick. Paving on Grove Street East from Duckworth to west of Nelson has been postponed to Thursday, August 21, due to rain in the forecast. Traffic will continue to be maintained on Grove Street during the work, with intermittent interruptions at intersections and local roads.
August 15, 2025
Paving on Grove Street East has been rescheduled to Tuesday, August 19, weather permitting. The limits on Grove are east of Duckworth to west of Nelson, and includes Nelson from Grove to Colleen, and Sylvia from Grove to south of Bernick. Traffic will be maintained on Grove Street during the work, with intermittent interruptions at intersections and local roads.
August 6, 2025
The contractor is mobilizing to Duckworth Street today as scheduled and paving will proceed as planned on August 7. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the paving work on Grove Street (tentatively scheduled for next week) is postponed. An update will be posted once the new date is set.
August 1, 2025
Duckworth Street paving from Howard to St. Vincent is planned for August 6 & 7 (weather permitting). This work requires the closure of Duckworth Street on Thursday, August 7 from Grove to St. Vincent, including intermittent interruptions of the Codrington, Penetang/Napier, and Wellington/Steel intersections and other local roads along Duckworth Street. Local access will be maintained to residents.
Grove Street East paving is tentatively planned for Monday, August 11 from east of Duckworth to west of Nelson. Nelson from Duckworth to Colleen will also be paved. Traffic will be maintained on Grove Street during the work, with intermittent interruptions at intersections and local roads.
This paving is the final major step of the project and will also include final pavement markings for new bike lanes on Duckworth and Grove. Any remaining final cleanup tasks will be completed in August/early September.
July 3, 2025
The contractor has been active in the area completing restoration, repairs, paving and preparations for final asphalt over the last few months. The final asphalt paving on Duckworth Street and Grove Street is planned for mid-July. This work includes new pavement markings and uncovering the bike lane signage before commissioning the new bike lanes on Duckworth Street and Grove Street.
May 8, 2025
The contractor will return to site over the coming weeks to complete remaining restoration work on Duckworth Street and Grove Street.
Part of this work includes full pavement reconstruction on Duckworth Street (Melrose to St. Vincent). Intermittent traffic interruptions are expected in this area Tuesday, May 13–Friday, May 16. This includes a single day closure of the Codrington Street & Duckworth Street intersection on Tuesday, May 13. Visit barrie.ca/RoadClosures for more details and detour information.
November 7, 2024
All road closures on Duckworth Street and Grove Street have ended for 2024. Final restoration continues on Duckworth, Grove, and Nelson, including topsoil and sod. The permanent traffic signals at Codrington/Duckworth Street are anticipated to be complete by the end of November.
The contractor will return in spring 2025 for top course paving on Duckworth and Grove.
October 17, 2024
Duckworth Street from Grove to Wellington/Steel is now expected to reopen by October 22.
Work on Duckworth Street at Wellington/Steel is nearing completion, with final topsoil and sod restoration remaining. Surface course paving is complete on Duckworth Street from Bell Farm to Howard. Sidewalk installations, curb replacement and restoration continues south of Wellington/Steel to St. Vincent.
The Grove Street and Cook Street intersection closure dates have shifted. The intersection is expected to be closed October 23–25 for pavement reconstruction, curb and sidewalk replacements. The road will be closed to all through traffic. Detours will include Steel Street and Duckworth Street. View transit impacts at MyRideBarrie.ca/News. Additional detour information will be available on the road closure map and road closure listing.
October 16, 2024
Duckworth Street from Grove to Wellington/Steel will be reopened by October 21.
Work on Duckworth Street at Wellington/Steel is nearing completion, with final topsoil and sod restoration remaining. Surface course paving is complete on Duckworth Street from Bell Farm to Howard. Sidewalk installations, curb replacement and restoration continues south of Wellington/Steel to St. Vincent.
The Grove Street and Cook Street intersection is expected to be closed October 21–23 for pavement reconstruction, curb and sidewalk replacements. The road will be closed to all through traffic. Detours will include Steel Street and Duckworth Street. View transit impacts at MyRideBarrie.ca/News. Additional detour information will be available on the road closure map and road closure listing.
September 19, 2024
The intersection of Duckworth Street and Wellington Street reopened on September 18.
September 17, 2024
Grove Street will be closed from Duckworth Street to Cook Street starting Monday, September 23 for approximately three weeks. The road will be closed to all through traffic, but local access for residents will be maintained. A detour will be in place. View transit impacts at MyRideBarrie.ca/News. Detour information will be posted on the road closure map and listing.
August 22, 2024
Watermain installation on Grove Street (Duckworth to Davies) will begin in the coming days as the work on Nelson Street (Colleen to Grove E) finishes and the road reopens. Traffic control persons will flag Grove Street as one way from Duckworth to Davies during the construction, which is expected to be complete by October 4.
Watermain and sanitary underground works are complete on Duckworth. Storm sewer work will be complete by the end of August. The old storm sewer will then be removed and the road rebuilt from Howard to the south limits at Melrose. Duckworth (Howard to Melrose) continues to be closed through fall 2024.
The Duckworth/Wellington intersection continues to be closed for sanitary and stowmwater work, which is expected to be complete by October 4.
Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours and view the road closure map for more closure/detour information.
July 25, 2024
The current Grove Sreet road closure (from Cook to Nelson) has been extended until August 2, 2024 to complete the watermain work.
Beginning today, the Duckworth/Wellington intersection will be closed for approximately 10 weeks. This closure is required for sanitary and stowmwater work.
Starting August 6 until approximately August 30, 2024, a full road closure of Nelson Street (from Colleen to Grove E) will be in place for watermain work.
Transit detour information will be available at MyRideBarrie.ca/News. View the road closure map for detour route details.
June 26, 2024
Starting July 2, Grove Street will be closed from Cook to Nelson for approximately four weeks. The closure is required for watermain construction. Transit detour information is available at MyRideBarrie.ca/News.
May 21, 2024
Bernick Drive at the Duckworth Street intersection will be closed starting Thursday, May 23 for approximately four weeks. The closure is of the east half of the intersection only; the west side (i.e. Rose Street) will be open. Traffic will not be able to travel east/west through the intersection.
A detour will be in place, which generally includes Sylvia, Grove, Duckworth, and Rose. Transit impacts will be posted at MyRideBarrie.ca/News.
May 8, 2024
The Wellington/Steel Street and Duckworth Street intersection will be closed Monday, May 13 to May 17 for construction of a new watermain. Traffic will not be able to travel east/west through the intersection, but access for residents and emergency services will be maintained. A signed detour will be in place which generally includes St. Vincent, Penetang, Napier and Cook. Transit detour details will be posted at MyRideBarrie.ca/News.
April 19, 2024
Duckworth Street (Melrose to Howard) will be closed from April 24, 2024 to fall 2024 for construction of a new watermain. The road will be closed to all through traffic, but access for residents and emergency services will be maintained. This closure encompasses the final stage of major road reconstruction.
A signed detour, which generally includes Bell Farm, St. Vincent, Codrington, and Johnson, will be in place for the duration of the closure. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detour details.
March 7, 2024
- The Rose Street/Duckworth Street intersection will be closed from March 7–May 12, 2024. Closure is of the west half of the intersection only; the east side (i.e. Bernick Drive) is not impacted.
- Detour routes include: Rose Street - Blue Mound Drive - Grove Street East - Duckworth Street - Bernick Drive.
- Access for residents within the closure is to be maintained, and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure but not to travel through it.
February 29, 2024
Construction on Duckworth Street will be restarting next week. The contractor will begin with storm sewer installations and roadwork north of Grove Street East toward Bell Farm Road.
- Traffic will be maintained on Duckworth north of Grove while work progresses under partial lane closures.
- Rose Street and Bernick Drive will be closed at various times for intersection improvements. Additional updates will be made prior to these closures.
- Access for local residents and to local businesses will be maintained throughout construction.
- Transit detour details will be available at MyRideBarrie.ca/News.
December 13, 2023
Duckworth Street has reopened from Grove E to Howard. A temporary lane reduction will remain in place on Duckworth Street from Bell Farm to Highview. These measures will be in effect from December 13 to spring 2024.
All work planned for 2023 construction season has now been completed. The contractor will remobilize to site in the spring of 2024, starting with work in the area of Duckworth Street north of Grove and on Grove Street east of Duckworth.
December 6, 2023
The full closure of Rose Street @ Duckworth Street planned for today has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 7, 7:30am–5pm (subject to weather conditions). The closure is required to connect the newly built watermain to the existing watermains.
The closure will extend ~50m west of Duckworth Street. Northbound and southbound lanes on Duckworth Street will remain open during these closures. Access for residents within the closure is to be maintained, and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure but not to travel through it. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details.
November 28, 2023
To connect the newly built watermain to the existing watermains, two single-day road closures are upcoming (subject to weather conditions):
- Thursday, November 30, 7:30am–5pm: A full closure of Bernick Drive @ Duckworth Street (closure will extend ~50m east of Duckworth Street)
- Wednesday, December 6, 7:30am–5pm: A full closure of Rose Street @ Duckworth Street (closure will extend ~50m west of Duckworth Street)
Northbound and southbound lanes on Duckworth Street will remain open during these closures. Access for residents within the closure is to be maintained, and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure but not to travel through it. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details and view closure details on map.
November 27, 2023
Two single-day road closures are upcoming (subject to weather conditions):
- Tuesday, November 28, 7:30am–5pm: A full closure of Rose Street @ Duckworth Street (closure will extend ~50m west of Duckworth Street)
- Wednesday, November 29, 7:30am–5pm: A full closure of Bernick Drive @ Duckworth Street (closure will extend ~50m east of Duckworth Street)
Northbound and southbound lanes on Duckworth Street will remain open during these closures. Access for residents within the closure is to be maintained, and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure but not to travel through it. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details and view closure details on map.
November 6, 2023
Watermain and storm sewer installations from Grove Street to Bell Farm Road continue. Restoration work on Duckworth Street south of Grove Street East also continues.
From November 8 to 10, Rose Street at Duckworth and Bernick Drive at Duckworth will be closed. Traffic will not be able to travel east/west through the intersection; however, Duckworth Street northbound and southbound will remain open. Access for residents will be maintained within the closure and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure, but not to travel through it. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details and view closure details on map.
October 24, 2023
The contractor's operations have expanded northerly from Grove Street to Bell Farm Road for watermain and storm sewer installations. Partial lane closures are in place on Duckworth Street with temporary lane shifts that will remain in place during fall and into winter.
Additionally, the Rose Street/Duckworth Street intersection (west leg) will be closed October 30–November 3. Detour routes include: Rose Street - Blue Mound Drive - Grove Street East - Duckworth Street - Bernick Drive. Access for residents within the closure is to be maintained, and emergency services will have access to respond within the closure but not to travel through it. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details.
Restoration work on Duckworth Street south of Grove Street East will continue into November.
October 18, 2023
Work on the Duckworth Street and Grove Street East intersection is progressing well, with the reopening of Grove Street East on track for October 20, 2023. Duckworth Street will remain closed south of Grove to Howard Crescent for completion of sidewalks, boulevards and driveways. Visit MyRideBarrie.ca/News for transit detours details and barrie.ca/RoadClosures for more information.
Duckworth Street will reopen to traffic later this fall and the contractor's operations will shift to the southbound lanes from Grove Street to Bell Farm Road for watermain and storm sewer installations.
September 14, 2023
Duckworth Street remains closed from Grove Street to Howard Crescent. A full closure of the Grove Street East and Duckworth Street intersection is scheduled for September 26 to October 20, 2023. See Barrie Transit routes 6 and 7 detour details & visit barrie.ca/RoadClosures for more information.
The project is currently on track, with the first phase of the project from Howard to Grove nearing completion. This is expected to be the project's final major closure of this intersection.
August 4, 2023
Duckworth Street remains closed from Grove Street to Howard Crescent. A full intersection closure of Grove Street East and Duckworth Street is scheduled for August 9 to August 11. See Barrie Transit routes 6 and 7 detour details & visit barrie.ca/RoadClosures for more information.
July 20, 2023
The watermain installations in the Grove Street intersection are substantially complete and Grove Street is open to traffic. Crews have now started sanitary sewer replacements on Duckworth Street working northerly from Howard Crescent.
July 12, 2023
Construction on Duckworth Street began late June. Watermain installations are progressing northerly from Howard Crescent into the Grove Street intersection. The intersection of Grove Street East and Duckworth Street will be closed from July 13 to July 21, 2023.
Detours will be in place:
- Duckworth Street: Bell Farm Road to St. Vincent Street
- Grove Street: St. Vincent Street to Wellington Street/Steel Street to Penetanguishene Road
Access for residents within the closure area will be maintained. Barrie Transit routes 6 and 7 will be on detour. Visit myridebarrie.ca/News for more details.
June 22, 2023
Construction on Duckworth Street will begin at the end of June. Duckworth Street will be closed from Grove Street to Howard Crescent on June 28 and traffic detours will be in place via St. Vincent Street. See Barrie Transit Route 6 detour details.
May 25, 2023
Construction on Duckworth Street will begin in the coming months while third-party utility relocation work continues. Residents impacted by the construction will be notified with additional details of the project and impacts in the coming weeks. The work is anticipated to take two years to complete.
April 2023
The construction contract has been tendered and will be awarded soon. Tree removals have been completed and third-party utility relocation work will continue over the coming months. Construction is planned to commence in late spring 2023 and is anticipated to take 2 years to complete.
Fall 2022
The relocation of gas main has begun, with hydro to be completed over the coming months. Additional third-party utility relocations and site preparation work will be completed by spring 2023. The project is on schedule for construction in 2023.
Summer 2022
The detailed design work is nearing completion. Relocation of Gas and Hydro will begin in late summer to early fall 2022 and will be completed by spring 2023.
Summer 2021
Utility investigations completed.
Project Features
Project highlights include:
- New watermain and sanitary sewer replacements
- Stormwater upgrades to improve drainage
- Road widening and new dedicated bike lanes
- New sidewalks, curbs, and fresh pavement
- Intersection upgrades, including new permanent traffic signals at Codrington and Duckworth
Due to the poor condition of Duckworth Street pavement, construction was split into three phases.
Most construction was completed in Fall 2019. All underground improvements were implemented, and some transportation improvements were implemented where feasible. Reconstruction from Melrose Avenue to St. Vincent Street included the following:
- Curb and gutter replacements
- New storm sewers
- New watermain and services
- Replacement sanitary sewer and laterals
- Street light and traffic signal upgrades
- Minor Intersection improvements: Codrington, Mountbatten, Penetang, Napier, Strabane, and Melrose
- New Pavement from Melrose to St. Vincent
Image
Duckworth Street key map Design was completed in Fall 2021. Construction took place between 2023 and 2025. Reconstruction of Duckworth Street included with right-of-way expansion from Melrose to Bell Farm and minor road improvements from St. Vincent to Melrose:
- Curb and gutter replacements
- New sidewalks
- New storm sewers
- New watermain and services
- Replacement sanitary sewer and laterals
- Street light and traffic signal upgrades
- Intersection improvements: Wellington/Steel, Howard, Davies, Highview, Grove, and Rose/Bernick
- Intersection improvements that were not completed in Phase 1: Codrington, Penetang, and Queen
- Bike lanes with painted buffer to delineate the bike lane from the vehicle lane
- New pavement from Bell Farm to Melrose
- Trees planted in the boulevards where they can be safely accommodated
ImageDuckworth Street key map This project is separate from the Grove Street Watermain Replacement, which takes place from Nelson to Johnson.
The Grove Street East scope included:
- New watermain and services, as well as new asphalt and pavement markings on:
- Grove Street East, from Duckworth to Davies and Cook to Nelson
- Sylvia Street, from Grove E to Bernick
- Nelson Street, from Grove E to Colleen
- New on-road bike-lanes on Grove Street from Duckworth to Nelson. City Council approved No Parking on Grove Street East from Bayfield Street to Johnson Street (both sides) on May 3, 2023.
Image
Grove Street East key map - New watermain and services, as well as new asphalt and pavement markings on:
Schedule | Phases 2 & 3
Construction for phase 2 commenced together with phase 3. The majority of the work for phases 2 and 3 was done in 2023 and 2024. The project was substantially complete at the end of 2024 and final paving top lift asphalt was completed in summer 2025.
| Detail Design Complete: | Fall 2021 |
|---|---|
| Property Acquisition: | 2021–2022 |
| Utility Relocations: | 2021–2022 |
| Anticipated Construction: | 2023–2025 |