An unexpected snag has pushed back the reopening of a busy south Barrie intersection by more than a month. The Huronia and Lockhart Road intersection was supposed to reopen Wednesday, but unforeseen utility conflicts have pushed that timeline to early November. The City of Barrie says the delay comes down to critical fibre optic lines that need to be switched over before construction can continue. “These lines provide telecommunications services to major financial institutions and data centres, requiring the cutover to be carefully coordinated to avoid disruptions to critical services,” the city said. Because of that, the timing of the work is being redetermined by the utility company. What’s the project? The closure is part of the larger Huronia Road reconstruction project, which includes rebuilding the road, adding paved shoulders, installing a new trunk sanitary sewer and upgrading traffic signals at Lockhart Road and McKay Road East. Dedicated left-turn lanes are also being added in all directions at Huronia and Lockhart. The project runs through an environmentally sensitive area near Lover’s Creek Swamp, with new culverts, wildlife passages and fencing being installed to help protect turtles and other wildlife. The city says construction on the overall project is expected to continue through 2028.
