Mapleview Drive East closed to traffic temporarily as workers prepare for widening project

Construction crews work on Mapleview Drive East in Barrie, Ont, on Wed., Sept. 18, 2024. (CTV News/Steve Mansbridge)

A section of Mapleview Drive East in Barrie's south end will be closed for two days so crews can prepare to begin a major road improvement project.

The area between Yonge Street and Prince William Way will be closed to through traffic from 9 a.m. until roughly 2 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday this week for Alectra Utilities and its subcontractors to do necessary preparation work.

The City says during the closure, motorists heading northbound on Yonge Street and eastbound on Mapleview Drive will be detoured along Yonge Street, Big Bay Point Road, and Prince William Way.

Southbound drivers on Yonge Street and those heading west on Mapleview Drive will be rerouted via Yonge Street, Lockhart Road, 20th Sideroad, and back to Mapleview Drive East.

"As a key transportation corridor, Mapleview Drive East will undergo several transportation improvements to accommodate the city's growth," the City stated.

The road will be widened to four lanes with a centre median, and a multi-use trail will be added.

Crews will also upgrade storm and sanitary sewers, enhance street lighting, and make improvements to the intersection at Yonge Street.

The City expects the main work on the project to begin this fall and continue through 2025.