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Bradford Bypass Connecting Link Update

Read our first Bradford Bypass update here http://www.newroads.ca/blog/bradfordbypassupdatehighway-400-404-connector/
 
For more than a decade, both the provincial government and residents of the north GTA have discussed the possibility of building a bypass that would connect two major Ontario highways – the 404 and 400 – north of Newmarket. Despite initial plans, the project (which become known as “the Bradford Bypass”) failed to materialize. However, the highway (which is now being called the “Connecting Link”) recently got one step closer to becoming a reality when it was officially added to the province’s updated Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe region on May 18, following a strong push by the public throughout 2016.
 
Bradford Bypass Hwy 400 to Hwy 404


According to the Town of East Gwillimbury website, “the Highway 400–404 Connecting Link is a proposed 16.2 kilometre, four-lane controlled access highway that will provide an east-west connection between Highway 400 in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Highway 404 in the Town of East Gwillimbury” that would help to “alleviate congestion on east-west corridors across the Holland Marsh” and “provide an alternative path from eastern Toronto and eastern Greater Toronto Area to Barrie and the rest of the Simcoe area.”
 
If approved, the Connecting Link would come as a response to the significant population and infrastructure growth that has occurred in the York Region and Simcoe County areas over the past few years. From 2006-2016, there was a population increase of over 20 per cent in York Region, and an increase of nearly 18 percent in Simcoe County*. The Growth Plan projects that the population of each area will rise by hundreds of thousands by the year 2041, and that the amount of jobs in the regions will increase drastically over this time. Approximately 50 per cent of York Region residents currently commute to other regions for their jobs, according to the Town of East Gwillimbury. The highway link would help to alleviate what is currently is, and is expected to be, heavy traffic during rush hours as people commute to and from the surrounding area for work. It would also aid in the development of businesses in the area which in turn would boost the economies of the respective regions.
 
There are currently no timelines in place for construction and completion of the Connecting Link, however a provincial environmental assessment is already underway.
 
We will keep you updated on the progress of the project.
 
*All figures are from Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca