The Bradford Bypass took another step forward Monday.
Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria was joined by representatives from the construction industry, and Bradford town staff and council, to announce the province has awarded a “major contract” for construction management of the western portion of the bypass to The Miller Group’s Brennan Paving and Construction, at the town’s administration centre on Line 11 on Oct. 28.
“Our government made a promise to build the Bradford Bypass and we are delivering on that promise,” Sarkaria said.
The bypass is planned to be a four-lane controlled access highway spanning 16.3 kilometres to link highways 400 and 404.
The minister said he couldn’t reveal the value of the contract at this time, but explained Miller/Brennan would oversee the design, quality control, safety and overall delivery of entire 6.5-km western section of the bypass from Highway 400 to County Road 4 (Yonge Street).
“It’s a very critical part of this project,” he said. “We will rely very heavily on them and our team at the MTO ... as we bring the project forward.”
Sarkaria couldn’t provide an exact timeline, but said heavy construction of the western route should begin “very soon” and pledged to have crews work 24/7 in order to expedite the process.
“We are full steam ahead on building the Bradford Bypass,” he said.
The minister also pointed to the early works the province began in advance of building the bypass route as evidence of their commitment to getting the project completed in a timely manner. In particular, he noted the bridge taking Yonge over the route is now complete, though traffic remains limited to one lane as crews continue related work on the province’s portion of a project to widen the road.
Mayor James Leduc said he was excited to see continued headway on the “highly-anticipated” bypass and thanked the minister and provincial government for their “steadfast support” in turning the “long-awaited” project into a reality.
“We are thrilled to see this significant project reaching new milestones and look forward to the positive impacts it will have throughout Bradford West Gwillimbury and surrounding areas,” he said.
After the announcement, Leduc reiterated that the commitment from the province will help with ongoing plans for town roads, including the reconstruction of Holland Street, about which staff are still expected to provide an update to council this fall, following budget deliberations in November.
“It means a lot to us,” the mayor said of Monday’s announcement. “It allows us to plan further into our process. It allows us to put the investments into the downtown core like we want to.”
As the town continues to see “rapid growth,” the mayor also noted the “heightened” increase in traffic congestion, which is part of why he sees the bypass as an “essential” piece of infrastructure and a “crucial link” to address the issue.
Bradford is expected to see the population increase from about 45,000 currently to about 85,000 by 2051.
Even after the federal government’s recently revised immigration targets, Sarkaria explained the Greater Golden Horseshoe is expected to grow from a population of 10 million to almost 15 million over the next few decades, with York Region and Simcoe County expected to be some of the fastest growing areas.
“We must act now to build our transportation network and accommodate this growth. If we don’t, our already congested highways will get even worse,” he said.
The most recent estimates from the province project construction of the bypass will support more than 2,000 jobs annually and contribute as much as $286 million to Ontario’s gross domestic product.
Monday’s announcement is the third in Bradford this year related to the bypass.
Sarkaria announced the $91-million contract to Dufferin Construction for the replacement of the bridge and interchange at Highway 400 and County Road 88 on July 17, and before that the minister announced a $16-million contract to AECOM for the detailed design of the western section on May 9.
To expedite the process, in October 2021 the province passed a regulation which exempted the bypass project from certain requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act, which has resulted in backlash from local residents and environmental groups, leading to court challenges and admonishments from political leaders.
Issues of property expropriation and the design of the interchange proposed for Sideroad 10 have also concerned local residents, and led Sarjeant Co. to seek relocation of their concrete batching plant.
