River Road/Bleams Road

Overview

Project number: 0787 | Updated: April 2025

The Region of Waterloo is extending River Road and Goodrich Drive between King Street East and Manitou Drive in Kitchener. The 3.4 km road will be four lanes with a continuous centre median and multi-use paths on both sides.

Phase 1 of this project includes:

• Extending existing Goodrich Drive to the Manitou Drive and Bleams Road intersection
• Bridge across Schneider Creek
• Roundabout at Goodrich Drive and Wilson Avenue
• Roundabout at Goodrich Drive and Wabanaki Drive
• Reconstructing and realigning Wabanaki Drive from Goodrich Drive to Hidden Valley Road

Phase 2 of this project includes:

• Extending River Road from King Street East to Hidden Valley Road
• Bridge across Highway 7/8 with ramps to access on and off the highway northbound and southbound (in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation)
• Stonegate Drive westbound ramps to Highway 7/8 (in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation)
• Traffic signal intersection at River Road and King Street East
• Roundabout at River Road and Wabanaki Drive

This road extension will enhance connectivity in Kitchener, improve traffic flow, decrease congestion on Fairway Road and support urban and economic growth.

Schedule

Environmental assessment: 2006–2014
Design and planning: 2014–2020
Construction phase 1: 2020–2027
Construction phase 2: 2027–2032

Note: timing may be affected by weather conditions and changing project scope; updates will be posted as needed.

Budget

$67,370,000

Contact

Jason Lane, P.Eng.
Project Manager, Region of Waterloo
[email protected] 

Service First Contact Centre: 519-575-4400

Getting around during construction

The Bleams Road and Manitou Drive roundabout will be reduced to a single lane from April to June 2025. Two-way traffic will be maintained on Bleams Road and Manitou Drive.

There may be periods during construction when traffic will need to travel on a gravel surface, as well as times when traffic will need to be controlled by staff. Please plan for some delays and travel carefully in the construction zone.

Public engagement 

The public was invited to provide feedback on this project during the environmental assessment process between 2006 and 2014.

Project details

Additional notes

This project supports the Region of Waterloo's strategic focus areas(External link): Climate aligned growth, Homes for all and Equitable services and opportunities.