Construction starts on Bradford Bypass
Construction is officially underway on the Bradford Bypass.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney visited the community on November 9 to oversee the start of construction of a traffic bridge that would cross over the future highway’s route.
Once complete, the 16-kilometre, four-lane highway will connect Highway 400 and Highway 404 in Simcoe County and York Region, north of Toronto.
“Our government will be relentless in delivering on our ambitious plan to build the much needed infrastructure that our growing province needs,” said Ford. “Building the Bradford Bypass is a key part of our plan to fight gridlock in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, helping commuters spend less time in traffic while creating good paying jobs for the people of this region.”
In April, Brennan Paving & Construction Ltd., which is a division of The Miller Group, was awarded the contract to design and construct the new bridge which will allow County of Simcoe Road 4 between 8th Line and 9th Line to cross over the future Bradford Bypass. The project will also include widening County Road 4 from two to four lanes.
“Gridlock makes life harder for Ontario businesses and farmers who rely on a strong highway network to get their goods to market quickly,” said Mulroney. “This important milestone brings us another step closer to getting the Bradford Bypass built, improving economic productivity and eliminating the gridlock that hurts us all.”
To promote efficiencies between the Bradford Bypass project and the County of Simcoe’s planned expansion work on County Road 4, an agreement is in place to better coordinate the construction approach, which will save taxpayer dollars and optimize the work required to improve gridlock and reduce the risk of construction delays.
During construction, the Bradford Bypass is estimated to contribute $274 million in annual real GDP and support 2,640 jobs per year on average in the transportation, engineering, construction and supply-chain industries.
Motorists and commercial truck drivers are anticipated to experience significant savings in travel time when using the Bradford Bypass compared to using existing routes along local roads, saving commuters up to 35 minutes per trip.
"The Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) is very pleased to hear today’s announcement regarding the Bradford Bypass,” said ORBA president Kevin Machej. “The Bypass will significantly contribute to Ontario's growing economy by creating jobs during construction, connecting people to major employment areas and attracting more businesses to the region."
Critics of the proposed highway say it will increase carbon and air pollution, while having significant impacts on important habitats, wildlife, and watersheds.
The project would run through the Holland Marsh, an area The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition previously called the "Greenbelt's most important wetland."
"Doug Ford just can't keep his hands off the Greenbelt," said Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner. "After recently breaking his promise on Greenbelt development, today the premier announced the start of early work on the Holland Marsh Highway – a climate and environment disaster that will slice right through the Greenbelt.
"These Greenbelt highways will increase expensive sprawl, ramp up climate pollution, and destroy the nature that protects us and the farmland that feeds us. We need farmland, not freeways."
The province’s project-specific environmental impact assessment for the project is currently underway and is expected to be completed in 2023.
The county road bridge project, meanwhile is expected to be completed in 2024; the bypass itself, should be finished by the end of the decade.