Ongoing construction closes major Barrie thoroughfare

Essa Road closure Essa Road will be closed for three consecutive nights beginning Monday night.

Barrie motorists driving overnight may have to adjust their routes accordingly this week.

According to the City of Barrie's website, a portion of Essa Rd. will be closed to traffic for three nights this week. The popular and busy thoroughfare between Fairview Rd. and Ardagh Rd. will be shut overnight for ongoing construction work.

The closure begins Monday at 11 p.m. The roadway will reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday, and closures are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

The temporary shutdowns are expected to end when the roadway reopens Thursday at 5 a.m.

The City's website says the closures are needed for the erection of new bridge girders.

The work is part of an ongoing project being led by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Crews are working on creating a new interchange to access Hwy. 400.

The project will also see the widening of Essa Rd. to six lanes. The City expects everything to be completed by 2025.

Earlier this summer the City of Barrie announced it is investing $110 million in road construction initiatives.

Other major ongoing projects include work on Bayview Dr., the Bryne Dr. S. extension and the recently reopened McKay Rd. W.