An upcoming road construction project on Owen Street and Sophia Street will ensure that Barrie’s downtown core is ready for growth with infrastructure updates and flood protection measures.
The city is upgrading its storm sewer system along Owen Street and Sophia Street East, to reduce flooding risk to the downtown. The work will include a new storm sewer and will also replace all existing under and above-ground infrastructure, as well as add new street lighting, upgraded traffic signals, new sidewalks, paved boulevards and crosswalks.
This project will begin with a full road closure on Owen Street, from Dunlop Street to north of Collier Street (including the Owen Street/Collier Street intersection), starting February 24, 2025. This section of the road will be closed until approximately July 2025. All vehicles will be restricted from travelling through the closure. Local access for residents and businesses will be maintained (with intermittent interruptions), and detour routes will be in place. Access for emergency vehicles to respond within the closure will be maintained.
As work progresses, the road closures will shift along Owen Street to Worsley Street, then McDonald Street in later 2025, then up to and including Sophia Street in 2026.
Transit and parking impacts
Transit routes 8A-NB, 8B-SB, 10, 11, 100, & 101 will be on detour due to the full intersection closure of Collier and Owen. For more information, visit myridebarrie.ca/news. Parking spaces on the closed section of road will be unavailable, but motorists are reminded that the Collier Street Parkade is open and available during construction. The Parkade is a fully accessible, brightly lit, 7-level parking facility with over 300 paid parking spaces, and 24 electric vehicle charging stations.
This is a multi-year project, with all work to be completed by summer 2027.
For more information and updates on this project, visit barrie.ca/roadwork.
