Gravenhurst, Ont. residents are losing access points to Highway 11.
During an April meeting, Andrew Stacey, the town’s director of infrastructure services, presented Gravenhurst’s town council with a report that recommended closing two entrances to Highway 11: the Manson/Cowbell Lane entrance 100 metres north of the Severn River Bridge and the Mitchell Road entrance 2.7 kilometres north of the Severn River Bridge.
In a vote, council unanimously accepted the information in the report with the intention to move forward with the closures.
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The recommendation to close the two entrances came from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO). Starting in 2026, the MTO plans to rehabilitate 7.8 kilometres of Highway 11 between the Severn River Bridge and South Kahshe Lake Road. As part of the planning process for this construction, the MTO has been evaluating Highway 11 access points. It’s determined that the Manson/Cowbell Lane and Mitchell Road entrances are unsafe.
“These roads have short access points on and off the highway,” says Stacey. This means there’s not much space to accelerate or decelerate when entering or exiting the highway.
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Stacey adds that both roads have other access points to Highway 11 that are deemed safer. This includes the Manson/Cowbell Lane access point 500 metres north of the Severn River Bridge, and the southerly entrance to Mitchell Road approximately 2.1 kilometres north of the Severn River Bridge. These two entrances will remain open.
On August 12, council will have the opportunity to pass a bylaw confirming the closure of the Manson/Cowbell Lane and Mitchell Road entrances. Once that happens, the town will erect signage about the closures, and the MTO will install guide rail barricades across the former entrances. The MTO will also convert the former Mitchell Road entrance into a cul-de-sac to make it easier for snowplows and other vehicles to turn around, and it will improve the right turn taper on the southern entrance to Mitchell Road to make that access point safer.
All costs associated with closing the two entrances will be covered by the MTO. Stacey says there isn’t a specific date for the closure, but he estimates that it will happen some time in the fall.
And while he can’t speak for the province, “we aren’t aware of any other proposed or planned closures,” says Stacey.
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