Construction season begins across the region

CTV Barrie: Spring road work Bring your patience this summer – Simcoe County is planning a lot of construction. Roger Klein explains.

With the busy vacation travel season just around the corner another season is about to start – road work season.

The pylons are up and the signs along River Road West in Wasaga Beach tell drivers to expect lane reductions while the Schooner town bridge is being widened.

Phil Palumbo says he avoids the construction if he can because traffic can get backed up in the area and the busy season hasn't even started yet.

“You can get held up but they are not bad about getting you through, it's going to be interesting when we hit the tourist season and the extra drivers up here and people not knowing where they are as well. We haven't quite got to that bridge yet so to speak.”

This is project isonly one of a multitude of construction projects slated for the summer months around our region. The MTO is about to start major work along the old Highway 26 west of Wasaga Beach now known as Beachwood Drive. And the Town of Collingwood is getting ready add a turning lane at an intersection in the centre of town.

The County of Simcoe has three major highway projects planned including the intersection at County Road 27 and Mapleview Drive along with the widening County Rd. 90. A section of County Road 50 will also be rebuilt this summer.  Debbie Korolnek says work will crews will try to keep traffic moving.

“We will keep one lane open in both directions through construction you may have to detour around something, we also try to wrap up by four on Fridays but sometimes we have to go later than that.”

While work crews do their best to manage traffic, delays are inevitable and police are reminding drivers to pack their patience because speeding through construction zones puts workers in danger.

OPP Constable Martin Hachey speed limits are lower and fines are double in construction zones when workers are on the job.

“It can get busy with a lot of workers inside the sight itself in some of the sights as well may be located on the highway where the speed limit is 80 or higher so when there is signage to slow down to a certain speed you must respect that, you never know when a worker may not be paying attention and step out I front of your vehicle so it's very important to slow down in these construction zones.”