Ontario awards contract for Bradford Bypass

(Image courtesy of RCCAO)

The Ontario government has awarded a contract for the detail design of the western section of the Bradford Bypass, a new four-lane, 16-kilometre highway north of Toronto, to AECOM Canada Ltd. The province says that the roadway is needed to relieve gridlock, save commuters time and keep goods moving across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

“As Ontario grows at a historic rate, there has never been a more urgent time to get shovels in the ground and build new highways and roads,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, the province’s minister of transportation. “Not only will the Bradford Bypass help save a generation of drivers from bumper-to-bumper traffic, but it will also create good-paying jobs and drive economic growth for decades to come.”

The western section of the Bradford Bypass, for which the contract is being awarded, will run 6.5 kilometres from Highway 400 to Simcoe Road 4. In the meantime, preliminary work for the Bradford Bypass is currently underway with construction of a new bridge at Simcoe Road 4 and the widening of County Road 4 from two to four lanes.

“For far too long the residents of York Simcoe have been waiting for results on this critical freeway. Today’s announcement is the next step in our plan to get shovels in the ground,” said Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York Simcoe.

“RCCAO welcomes the Ontario government’s advancements to get the Bradford Bypass built,” stated Nadia Todorova, executive director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO). “This piece of critical infrastructure is vital for growing communities in the region and the province’s economy. We are pleased to see the next stage of this project get underway so construction of necessary and critical infrastructure projects can proceed quickly and efficiently.”

One of the fastest-growing regions in North America, the Greater Golden Horseshoe welcomes more than 200,000 newcomers each year. The province views the Bradford Bypass as a vital link for communities in York Region and Simcoe County, providing better connections to jobs and housing. During construction, the project is expected to support up to 2,200 jobs annually and contribute up to $286 million to the province’s GDP.

“We have been working on the Bradford Bypass for several years and are pleased to be expanding our scope to include detail design,” said Richard Barrett, chief executive of AECOM’s Canada region. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Ontario government to deliver this transformational project that will create lasting mobility improvements for residents and businesses for decades to come.”

www.ontario.ca