The province is providing the City of Barrie with $18.5 million as part of an infrastructure project to facilitate the construction of up to 11,900 new homes.
The total project cost is $56.9 million and includes road expansion on Yonge Street and Mapleview Drive East, a city official stated in an email to Barrie 360.
"This includes costs that were ineligible for the grant funding, such as property purchases and water/wastewater infrastructure," the city said.
The grant will fund reconstruction and expansion of:
- 1.9km of Yonge Street from Lockhart to Mapleview and
- 1.4km of Mapleview Drive East from east of Yonge to Prince William Way
The scope includes:
- widening Yonge and Mapleview from 2 to 4 lanes within the project limits
- modernizing both roads by replacing ditches with storm sewers and curb & gutters, and adding street lighting, multi-use paths and sidewalk
- turning lanes and other intersection improvements at Yonge and Mapleview
- all roads will be repaved
"This provincial investment is essential to supporting Barrie's growth," said Mayor Alex Nuttall. Team Barrie continues to work together to deliver much-needed housing and infrastructure our community needs to thrive. We are grateful to the province for their continued commitment to Barrie's future."
Of the 11,900 new housing units, approximately 3,000 are already registered, 3,000 are draft approved, and another 3,200 have active development applications under review.
