Work starting at Old Barrie Road intersection in Orillia

Necessary tree cutting will take place at the Old Barrie Road and Highway 11/12 interchange over the next week to enable the Old Barrie Road Intersection Improvement Project to move forward.

The City is required to cut down approximately one hectare of trees along a narrow strip of Old Barrie Road and at the south-west corner of the Old Barrie Road and Highway 11/12 interchange to allow the future road realignment and straightening of Old Barrie Road. The trees being cut down are located on lands owned by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and are not a part of Scout Valley.

The affected area has been examined to ensure any tree species of interest will not be impacted. No species of interest were identified. The work is being completed under a permit issued by the MTO.

The tree cutting and removal will start this week and will take approximately one week to complete. There is no anticipated traffic impact as a result of these works.

The $2.5 million Old Barrie Road Intersection Improvement Project includes various road and intersection improvements at the Highway 11/12 interchange at Old Barrie Road, including road realignment and off-ramp extensions. The City received approximately $1.6 million towards the Old Barrie Road Intersection Improvement Project from the federal and provincial governments through the Small Communities Fund in July of 2015. In addition, the City was recently awarded $325,000 in a matching grant from the MTO through the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program for the construction of a new bicycle and pedestrian trail over Highway 11 connecting Highway 12 and Old Barrie Road.

Currently at the 30 per cent design stage, the City must receive MTO approvals at the 60 and 90 per cent design stage before the project can go for tender. The City is hoping to receive all necessary MTO approvals in time for construction to begin in late summer 2016.

The City of Orillia is a city of 31,000 people in the heart of Ontario’s Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Visit our website at orillia.ca.

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George Bowa
Director of Public Works
705-329-7246
gbowa@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
705-325-8929
705-238-9209
jruff@orillia.ca