Residents in Barrie could find it a bit more difficult to go to Debb’s Place on Huronia Road for breakfast and lunch as construction has resulted in road closures right in front of the business. Tanya Snee, manager of Debb’s Place said while construction is necessary, there has been some setbacks throughout the summer. “There have been some blockages at the detoured areas, and we’ve had a lot of phone calls and concerns that people can’t get through,” said Snee. “Which has definitely slowed down business, I’m sure, for other businesses around us as well.” More than 1400 metres of water lines are being replaced and installed along Huronia Road resulting in business being down. “I’d say close to 50 per cent,” said Snee. “We don’t know how much construction in the summertime is, because sometimes it slows, but it’s definitely not helping.” Debb’s isn’t the only business affected, major projects continue throughout Barrie including the widening of Yonge Street and Mapleview Drive resulting in the closure of a major city artery. Adam Kiley manager of linear infrastructure projects for the City of Barrie said the city has multiple projects on the go. “We have 25 active or recently completed construction projects ongoing, worth about $100 million,” said Kiley. “These include various infrastructure projects and resurfacing.” One of the largest projects in Barrie includes building a new bridge on Dunlop Street, over Highway 400. While the bridge is built, businesses in Cedar Pointe Plaza continue to lose business and don’t know when their parking lots will reopen. Kaleesh Patel, owner of Cedar Pointe Convenience said his store is suffering. “We lost lots of business compared to last year,” said Patel. “Nobody can walk to my store, you can’t drive here, we don’t have any parking space. That fence is close to my front door, so we are very, very affected in my business right now.” Debb’s Place has been vocal online, grabbing the attention of Ward 8 councillor Jim Harris who was eager to try and assist the restaurant with signage and talk about the importance of the project on Huronia Road. “Nobody can overstate the importance of water, right? Water safety, water quality, water reliability, so it is key infrastructure has to be done,” Harris told CTV News. “So, we want to make sure that we can reduce the impact as much as we can on people who live in the area,” said Harris. A temporarily re-opening of Huronia Road is on the horizon. “Phase one works completed in the fall, the road will be reopened to two lanes of traffic for the winter,” said Kiley. “And then that northbound lane closure will be put back in place for 2027.” If residents want to eat at Debb’s Place they are encouraged to follow detour signage along Big Bay Point Road to Welham Road to access the restaurant.
