River Road/Bleams Road

Overview

Project number: 0787 | Updated: August 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
jlane@regionofwaterloo.ca 

Service First Contact Centre: 519-575-4400

Getting around during construction

Construction is finished for the 2025 season. The new Bleams Road extension between Manitou Drive and Wilson Avenue is now open.

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.