The City of Barrie Multi-Modal Active Transportation Master Plan identified Yonge Street as a key transportation corridor and recommended several transportation improvements to accommodate the growth of Barrie to 2031.
Transportation improvements include reconstruction and widening of Yonge Street (Mapleview E to Lockhart) to inlcude five lanes, a cycle-track and a sidewalk. The project will also include reconstructing St. Paul Crescent (Mapleview E to Yonge).
The purpose of this project is to implement the preferred servicing solution as recommended by the Municipal Class EA process. See background.
The City of Barrie has retained Ainley & Associates for the provision of engineering services for the preliminary and detailed design of the preferred alternative design solution for Yonge Street and St. Paul Crescent, contract administration, construction inspection, commissioning and warranty administration for these projects are provisional items.
As announced on March 28, 2025, this project is receiving funding support from the Province of Ontario through the Housing Enabling Core Servicing (HECS) grant.
Project Updates
July 6, 2026
- Restoration of St. Paul's Crescent has been completed and is now open to traffic.
- Road widening on the west side of Yonge Street, including pavement marking has been completed, and traffic has shifted to accommodate construction on the east side of the road.
- Watermain installation on the east side of Yonge Street will start this week.
- The contractors will implement a full road closure of Yonge Street between St. Paul's and Mapleview. The short-term closure is expected to be in place July 14–17, 2026. The closure is required to complete a critical deep sanitary sewer connection. Yonge Street will be temporarily closed for three consecutive days, with construction occurring continuously over 24 hours each day. Completing this work in one continuous operation significantly reduces the overall duration of traffic impacts compared to conventional staged construction.
Through traffic will not be permitted during the closure. Motorists will be diverted via St. Paul's Crescent to reach Mapleview Drive East or connect back to Yonge Street. Motorists are reminded to plan ahead and follow all posted signage. Road closure details are available at barrie.ca/RoadClosures. Transit will not be affected by this road closure.
Schedule
| Stage | Timing |
|---|---|
| Finalize Design | 2025 |
| Property Acquisition | 2022–2025 |
| Utilities Design & Relocations | 2025–2026 |
| Construction | Spring 2026–Spring 2028 |
Project Features
The Yonge Street reconstruction includes the following:
- Reconstruct and widen the roadway to five lanes (four through lanes, two per direction) and a 4.2m median (raised or painted, depending on adjacent land use)
- 3.0 m multi-use pathway on west side
- 2.0 m sidewalk on the east side
- Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater management features
- Implement watermain and sanitary sewer
- Eliminate roadside ditches and add curbs and sidewalk
- Construct a new storm sewer system
- Street lighting
- Provision of traffic signals at future intersections and improvements to the traffic signal at Lockhart Road
The St. Paul Crescent reconstruction will include:
- Intersection realignment with the future Shepherd Drive
- Roadside drainage improvement
- Localized resurfacing to improve rideability
- New sanitary sewer and services
- New watermain and water services
What to Expect During Construction
You may experience inconveniences such as dust, noise and short delays. The City will make efforts to reduce impacts and your patience is appreciated.
Background
Environmental Assessment (EA) Study
Phases 3 & 4 of the Municipal Class EA process were completed for the study area in consideration of the physical, natural, cultural/heritage, social and economic environments. The proposed design alternatives were evaluated in consideration of these criteria. Subsequent to this analysis and the agency and public input provided, the preferred design alternatives were chosen.
Public Information Centre
A Public Information Centre (PIC) was held on November 14, 2018 to present the proposed improvements and seek community feedback. The PIC was an informal drop-in session where participants were able to review information presented, ask questions of City staff and the design team, and provide feedback to help guide the finalization of the design.
Please see the following documents for details on the PIC: