Construction Starts on Beach Drive in Wasaga Beach

WASAGA BEACH – Wasaga Beach is moving ahead with plans to upgrade the town’s popular commercial area along Beach Drive at Beach Area 1. Starting tomorrow, a section of Beach Drive between Spruce Street and 2nd Street will be closed for construction.

Enhancing roads and infrastructure along Beach Drive will tackle flooding problems that have been hurting tourism and businesses in this important economic zone. This project is expected to attract millions in investments, including a high-end Marriott hotel planned for a site near Beach Drive in 2026, by the award-winning Sunray Group.

What’s happening tomorrow?

Beginning Tuesday, June 24:

traffic won’t be allowed past the Spruce Street municipal parking lot.  1st Street will be closed. 2nd Street, 3rd Street, and the part of Beach Drive connecting these two streets will stay open during this phase of work. What to expect this summer along Beach Drive and at Beach Area 1  

The Town has put together a Summer 2025 Beach Area 1 Fun Map – this map shows what residents and visitors can look forward to at Beach Area 1 during construction, including parking options, dining spots, and activities near Beach Area 1 this summer.

4 things you need to know: Pedestrian access to the beachfront in front of Beach Drive will remain available during construction. Roadwork on Beach Drive won’t affect the beach or any other beach areas. Special events like Canada Day celebrations on the beachfront, the Town’s annual Midway and Memories of Summer concert, food trucks, and several local businesses will keep operating as usual. Check out the Summer 2025 Beach Area 1 Fun Map for full details. The Town has also created a new parking map featuring municipal and provincial lots to help you plan your trip to Wasaga Beach: wasagabeach. com/parking Quotes

“For year-round hotels, shops, restaurants, cafes, and attractions to succeed near the beachfront, we need to rebuild Beach Drive and make it climate resilient. This will help ensure Wasaga Beach thrives as Ontario’s summer playground – and that we evolve into a year-round destination that will grow Ontario’s tourism sector, increase our municipal tax base, support local businesses, and better support the high levels of growth that our community has been experiencing.” – Mayor Brian Smith

Quick Facts In January 2025, Council welcomed the largest infrastructure investment in Wasaga Beach’s history when the Ontario government announced it would invest $10.9 million to cover about half of the costs for redeveloping Beach Drive. The other half will be funded by developers. In May 2025, Premier Doug Ford and Ontario Minister of Tourism Stan Cho visited Wasaga Beach with news that the province would invest $38 million towards building Destination Wasaga. Related links

Subscribe for updates on Downtown Wasaga and construction at Beach Area 1.

Download the Summer Fun Map for Beach Area 1 (shown below) so you can plan your visit to Wasaga Beach today!

About Wasaga Beach

For over one hundred years now, Wasaga Beach has been known as Ontario’s go-to summer playground – a place where people come to enjoy themselves and make lasting memories. Today we’re aiming to become an all-season spot for recreation and live music. Rebuilding Bay Drive along with rethinking our main commercial area at Bay Area 1 supports this vision alongside Council’s goals: creating opportunities that diversify our economy while growing tourism jobs and fostering a complete community. It forms part of our effort toward being leaders in sustainability while promoting creativity through fun! A place where businesses thrive within safe inclusive neighborhoods celebrating rich history diversity alongside natural beauty like Nottawasaga River Georgian Bay plus having world’s longest freshwater beach.

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