Province supports new Bradford interchange under cost-sharing partnership with town, county

By Sean Pearce BWG Topic Aug 31, 2012 

Next exit the 5th Line of Bradford.

Liberal Oak Ridges-Markham MPP Dr. Helena Jaczek was at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library Friday afternoon to announce the province will support the construction of a new interchange at Hwy. 400 and the 5th Line under a cost-sharing partnership with the town and the County of Simcoe. Appearing on behalf Bob Chiarelli, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Dr. Jaczek said the new interchange will make travel easier for families and businesses and also stimulate economic growth.

“The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the County of Simcoe are growing and need infrastructure enhancements such as this,” she said. “This interchange will open up new opportunities for Bradford West Gwillimbury, supporting economic growth and the creation of new jobs.”

Bradford Mayor Doug White called the announcement a great day for the community and expressed his gratitude to both the county and the provincial government for coming to the table. The new interchange will facilitate the establishment of a new economic corridor along either side of Hwy. 400, from the 5th Line up to the 9th Line, consisting of more than 8,000 new jobs on more than 2,000 acres of land zoned for commercial and industrial development, he said.

“I am thrilled that the province, county and town all share the same vision,” he said. “We all want a complete community and that includes local jobs.”

The creation of a Hwy. 400 employment area is this council’s top priority, Mr. White continued, adding that the cost-sharing partnership is the first step on the road to getting there.

“A generation from now, there will be thousands of jobs there,” he said. “It all starts with this announcement today.”

Simcoe County’s Warden, Cal Patterson, also greeted the news enthusiastically.

“By working together, we can serve our residents and visitors to our county more effectively and efficiently,” he said. “Simcoe County’s roadways are as irreplaceable and vital as any other infrastructure component. Not only do they link our 16 municipalities to our neighbours and the world, we use them every day; they are the engine that moves us and fuels our region, both economically and socially.

“I applaud the Government of Ontario for its forward thinking and willingness to invest in Simcoe County and its roadways.”

With the cost-sharing partnership in place, town staff will now work with their counterparts at the county and the province to finalize the deal to construct the interchange with an estimated cost of $54 million, Mr. White said.

At this point, construction is anticipated to start in late 2014 once all of the design work is completed.

Beyond that, the town will also be working to finalize its payment agreements with the development community to foot the bill for the majority of the town’s share of the project up front.

“The partnership is between the town, the county and the province, but 90 per cent of the town’s share will be up-fronted by the development community,” Mr. White said. “Our taxpayers will only be up-fronting about three per cent of the cost.

“When it comes to value for the dollar, you don’t get any better than that.” 

By Miriam King Bradford Times  September 1, 2012 

The Province of Ontario and County of Simcoe are “buying into” Bradford West Gwillimbury’s vision of creating a “complete community”, through generating new jobs and economic opportunities along the Highway 400.

On August 31, the three levels of government announced a partnership, to share the costs of constructing a new interchange at Highway 400 and the 5th Line of BWG.

Dr. Helena Jaczek, MPP for Oak Ridges-Markham, made the announcement on behalf of Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli, noting that the province plans to invest $2.4 billion in road and bridge construction projects this year, through the Building Together Plan.

Dr. Jaczek said that her government was “delighted” to keep moving forward with improvements to infrastructure – improvements that will enhance the transportation system, and lead to economic growth. She described Bradford West Gwillimbury as a “growing community which needs an efficient and enhanced transportation network… This interchange will open up new opportunities for Bradford West Gwillimbury, supporting economic growth and the creation of new jobs.”

The announcement was made at the Bradford Public Library – a building which, Dr. Jaczek noted, was also built through infrastructure funding initiatives.

Cal Patterson, Warden of Simcoe County, was on hand to support the announcement. “As the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury continues to experience steady growth… this new interchange will provide a better connection, for residents and the County, and stimulate economic growth,” he said. “Simcoe County’s roadways are as irreplaceable and vital as any other infrastructure component. Not only do they link our 16 municipalities to our neighbours and the world, we use them every day. They are the engine that moves us and fuels our region, both economically and socially.”

The new interchange will provide access to over 730 hectares of designated Employment Lands along Highway 400, between the 5th and 8th Lines of BWG – making it possible to pursue plans of generating over 8,000 new jobs.

“This is a wonderful thing you have announced,” said Mayor Doug White, who was accompanied by five members of Council, Town Manager Jay Currier, and Manager of Economic Development, Michael Disano. White thanked the Province and County for their support, noting that the provision of services “can’t be on the backs entirely of our homeowners. That is why the #1 priority of this Council is economic development.”

The Mayor predicted “thousands of new jobs, within a generation,” once the interchange is constructed. And with the cost-sharing agreement being finalized, “now it’s full speed ahead.”

Once the agreement is signed in the near future, and work on the design of the interchange gets underway, “It’s the province’s expectation that construction will commence in 2014,” said Dr. Jaczek.

Preliminary engineering estimates have suggested that the cost of the new interchange could be as high as $65 million. The cost sharing will see the Town, County and Province each pay one-third – with the lion’s share of the Town’s costs, including the preliminary design, paid for through pre-payment agreements with developers.

“(Of) our third, 90% is going to be paid by the development community,” said Mayor White, noting that the Town doesn’t have the borrowing capacity to proceed without developer support. “In the end, our taxpayers will be up-fronting 3% of the cost.”

BHPI (Bond Head Properties Inc.) has confirmed that they will be providing funding. “BHPI is pleased to see the Province, County and Town working together to stimulate economic development and job creation while improving the transportation infrastructure for the benefit of residents and employers in BWG and Simcoe County,” said Cheryl Shindruk, Executive Vice President for Land Development at Geranium Corp. and chair of the Simcoe chapter of BILD. “In order to expedite the timing of the interchange, BHPI has committed to front-end the cost of the design work, while the three levels of government finalize their agreements with one another. This interchange will allow Bradford to grow as planned, and will attract industry, jobs and additional investment.”

“There’s been discussions with the province and county for months,” said Mayor White. “We’re very confident that now that the process has been started, it’s full speed ahead” – and that the 3-party agreement “will protect the interests of our taxpayers.”