Ontario Construction News staff writer
The County of Simcoe’s longest ever road project — County Road 90 between Barrie and Angus — should be completed by November, more than eight years after it began.
The County Road 90 widening project stretches about 12 kilometres, expanding the busy route between Barrie and Angus to five lanes from two, and at a cost of $85 million, its the largest and most expensive road project the county has undertaken.
Construction began in 2011 and while the budget increased annually, the most recent County of Simcoe report shows the project on time and on budget.
Last Tuesday, county council heard paving is underway and all five lanes are to be open by the end of October or beginning of November. Small deficiencies and minor repairs or warranty work will happen after that.
Because County Road 90 crosses a rural area, wells and septic tanks created challenges for construction crews, and so did the large number of homes close to the highway and bridgeworks.
Properties at 5493 and 5499 County Road 90 were purchased to accommodate a jog in road placement to the south, and now that construction is nearing completion and the required road widenings have been transferred to the county, council deemed impacted properties as surplus and they will be sold as the remaining land serves no municipal purpose.
The decision will be ratified at the Sept. 24 council meeting.