Fairway Road Extension and Bridge Opening

Waterloo Region – Members of Regional Council gathered this morning for a brief ceremony to open the highly anticipated Fairway Road extension and bridge.

The bridge, which will link east Kitchener to north Cambridge, is the first new span over the Grand River in this community in 50 years. It has four lanes, a centre median, on-road bicycle lanes, an off-road multi-use trail and connections to the Water Bean Trail below.

Two roundabouts flank the bridge and anchor the road extension. One roundabout operates at Fountain Street and Kossuth Road in Cambridge. The other operates at Fairway Road and Zeller Drive in Kitchener.

“This is a long awaited project many years in the making”, said Ken Seiling Regional Chair. “The public will enjoy the benefits of improved connections between Kitchener, Cambridge and Guelph, and the bridge provides greater access to Highway 401, while easing congestion on Highway 8.”

Aesthetic features of the bridge include sculpted piers and gateway portals on both the Kitchener and Cambridge sides and an open exterior railing which resembles a wave pattern. All support piers are on land and none are in the river. Scenic lookouts, give the public a beautiful vantage point of the Grand River.

“It’s a beautiful bridge over a beautiful heritage river,” said Councillor Jim Wideman, Chair of Planning and Works Committee. “I have no doubt that the cycling lanes, multi-use trail and scenic look-outs will be very well used by the public.”

The project was undertaken by the Region of Waterloo. Cost of constructing the Fairway extension and bridge is approximately $ 40.5 million.

The roadway and bridge is expected to serve the travelling public well into the future.

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For more information please contact: John Stephenson, Senior Project Manager, Design and Construction, 519-575-4096, email: jstephenson@regionofwaterloo.ca