BRADFORD — The Ontario government is starting construction on a bridge crossing over the future Bradford Bypass, marking another milestone in the province’s plan to relieve gridlock, create jobs and connect communities in the rapidly-growing Greater Golden Horseshoe.
“Our government will be relentless in delivering on our ambitious plan to build the much needed infrastructure that our growing province needs,” said Premier Doug 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 2022, Brennan Paving & Construction Ltd. was awarded the contract to design and construct the new bridge which will allow County of Simcoe Road 4 (Yonge Street) 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.
Tune in as I join Minister @C_Mulroney to talk about the progress we’re making to build the Bradford Bypass. https://t.co/9ljmRfdHtb
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) November 9, 2022
“Gridlock makes life harder for Ontario businesses and farmers who rely on a strong highway network to get their goods to market quickly,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “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.
Quick Facts
- The Bradford Bypass is a new four-lane freeway that will connect Highway 400 and Highway 404 in Simcoe County and York Region.
- During the construction period, 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.
- A project specific assessment of environmental impacts in accordance with Ontario Regulation 697/21 for the project is currently underway and is expected to be completed in 2023.
- In 2022-23, Ontario is investing $3.0 billion to expand and repair provincial highways, roads and bridges, including over $761 million to expand the province’s highways and bridges, and more than $1.5 billion for rehabilitation projects.
Quotes
“Proceeding with the overpass is a major step towards construction of the highway and demonstrates great cooperation between the province and Simcoe County. I’d like to thank Premier Ford and Minister Mulroney for their ongoing commitment to this critical infrastructure investment in York Region and Simcoe County.”
– Rob Keffer
Mayor of Bradford West Gwillimbury
“We continue to support the development of this critical infrastructure. East Gwillimbury is Canada’s fastest growing community – and with that comes a responsibility to ensure we have the road network to connect communities within the Greater Golden Horseshoe, grow our economy, and reduce travel time.”
– Virginia Hackson
Mayor of East Gwillimbury
“I am thrilled to hear that this project is finally moving ahead, thanks to the work of Premier Ford and Minister Mulroney. This much-needed piece of infrastructure for our growing community will divert regional traffic away from our residential neighbourhoods, allowing the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury to transform our Main Street into a walkable, pedestrian and business friendly downtown shopping and dining district.”
– Councillor Jonathan Scott
Chair of the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Committee
“The Ontario Trucking Association fully supports the Government of Ontario’s move forward on the Bradford Bypass. The addition of this key infrastructure link is vital for the province. The project will support both short-term and future economic recovery, address capacity issues, reduce congestion on existing regional and municipal roads between Highway 400 and Highway 404; and promote the enhanced movement of goods and people along Ontario highways and strategic trade corridors. Essentially, the highway – which will serve as a major freeway-to-freeway connector between Northern, Central and Southern Ontario – will have a positive impact by supporting and providing relief for the supply chains across the province, which have been under stress since the start of the pandemic. Consequently, it allows the trucking industry to better serve businesses in York and Simcoe Regions and more efficiently provide the goods and products those businesses, their employees and residents need to thrive. OTA cannot stress enough how important this effort is to our industry and economic recovery of Ontario. This investment by the province will pay dividends for decades to come. ”
– Stephen Laskowski
President, Ontario Trucking Association
“The Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA) is very pleased to hear today’s announcement by Premier Ford and Minister Mulroney regarding the Bradford Bypass. This Bypass is needed and welcomed by the road building industry as more than $785 million of goods per day move on Ontario’s highways, making the transportation system the backbone of our export-driven economy. Furthermore, the Bradford Bypass will relieve congestion on existing east-west roads in Bradford and provide a northern connection between Highway 400 and Highway 404, saving time and reducing greenhouse gases. 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.”
– Kevin Machej
President, Ontario Road Builders’ Association
“Thank you Premier Ford and Minister Mulroney for your steadfast commitment to building the Bradford Bypass to address our shared priorities. As employment land developers in the Highway 404 corridor we see the benefits clearly, infrastructure investments on this scale will ensure Ontario goods can get to market quickly and commuter travel times will decrease. Development activity in the Highway 404 corridor is robust and your government has taken action to support this.”
– Michael Rice
President & CEO, Rice Group
SOURCE Province of Ontario
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