Work is ramping up for the Dunlop Street overpass bridge replacement in Barrie, part of a $120 million project to widen Highway 400 to 10 lanes and ease traffic congestion in the area.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference held July 4, at the Dufferin Construction office in Barrie, Ric Bresee, parliamentary assistant to Transportation Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, announced the launch of the next phase.
“We have some exciting news for drivers who are tired of being stuck in gridlock. Drivers in and around Barrie — including those bound for cottage country — will benefit as we make progress on the highway expansion,” he said.
Bresee emphasized that replacing the Dunlop Street bridge is a needed step toward widening Highway 400.
“Replacing the Dunlop Street bridge is a crucial step in widening Highway 400 near Barrie, which will reduce gridlock and save time for the more than 100,000 drivers who rely on this stretch of highway every day.”
Nearly 500 good-paying jobs will be created during construction of the new Dunlop Street bridge and associated highway upgrades. Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte and Ontario’s attorney general, said the project, along with recent replacements of other area bridges, is a vital part of strengthening the local economy and ensuring the region remains well-connected.
“This bridge, along with the Anne Street bridge, the Sunnidale bridge and the bridges at Lines 3, 5, 7 and 9 in Oro-Medonte are all part of the plan to repair, replace and expand bridges and roadways across the province to help support Ontario’s economy,” he said.
Coun. Craig Nixon said he’s pleased to see the project underway, noting that the existing bridge is no longer suitable for the planned highway expansion.
“This work is essential due to the widening of Highway 400 and the planned modifications to the on- and off-ramps, as the current bridge is too narrow to accommodate these changes,” he said.
“It has only one lane in each direction, creating a bottleneck where Dunlop Street narrows from two lanes each way. Another issue is caused by vehicles exiting Highway 400 northbound via the Dunlop Street west off-ramp, who must immediately merge onto the one-lane bridge.”
In January 2025, the Ontario government stated that work was completed in widening nine kilometres of Highway 400 in Vaughan to fight gridlock.
Also on hand at the press conference was Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin. Completion of the project is expected to wrap up in late 2028.
