Vaughan Road Construction Projects

• Keele Street from Steeles Avenue to 407 ETR
  Road widening from four to six lanes, including Transit-HOV lanes
  Construction starts: Spring 2021
  Construction ends: Fall 2024
• Major Mackenzie Drive from Highway 400 to Jane Street
  Road widening from four to six lanes
  Construction starts: October 2020
  Construction ends: Fall 2024
• Rutherford Road from Highway 400 to Westburne Drive
  Road widening from four to six lanes
  Construction starts: August 2021
  Construction ends: Fall 2025​
• Rutherford Road from Peter Rupert Avenue to Bathurst Street
  Road widening from four to six lanes, including Transit-HOV lanes
  Construction starts: Spring 2023
  Construction ends: Fall 2025
• Teston Road from Pine Valley to Weston Road
  Road widening from two to four lanes, including jog elimination
  Construction starts: November 2022
  Construction ends: Summer 2025

• Bathurst Street from Major Mackenzie Drive to North of Highway 7 
  Road widening from four to six lanes, including Transit-HOV lanes
  Construction starts: 2025
  (Check back for project details)
• Highway 50 from Albion-Vaughan Road to Rutherford Road
  Road widening from four to seven lanes
  Construction starts: Project led by Peel Region
• Highway 50 at Mayfield Road
  Intersection Improvements
  Construction starts: Project led by Peel Region
• Keele Street from Rutherford Road to Teston Road
  Watermain replacement, active transportation facility, sanitary sewer upgrade, sidewalk and streetlight improvements
  City of Vaughan Project
  Map of work and locations
  Construction starts: 2023
  Construction ends: 2024

There are other projects happening on roads near York Region projects. Measures are taken to reduce the length of construction and lessen impacts to communities, including connecting and coordinating with other agencies that are building in the area.

• Highway 50 from Albion-Vaughan Road to Rutherford Road
  Road widening from four to seven lanes
  Project led by Peel Region
• Highway 50 at Mayfield Road
  Intersection Improvements​​​
  Project led by Peel Region
• Keele Street from Rutherford Road to Teston Road
  Watermain replacement, active transportation facility, sanitary sewer upgrade, sidewalk and streetlight improvements
  Project led by City of Vaughan
  Construction starts: 2023
  Construction ends: 2024

We’re building, reconstructing and repairing regional roads for you, our communities and the future of the City of Vaughan. Improvements include:

• Road reconstruction and widening
• Culvert replacement
• Intersection upgrades and improvements to enhance traffic operations
• Pavement repair, preservation and rehabilitation

• Travellers will benefit from the additional roadway capacity to help alleviate congestion in the City of Vaughan 
• Improving the transportation network in Vaughan with more transit facilities
• Cycling and pedestrian facilities provide new opportunities for cyclists and commuters to use active forms of transportation to explore York Region. Bicycle facilities help in connecting the larger commuter and leisure cycling network
• Rehabilitating our roads ensures a safe commute for all road users
• With road widening projects, travellers will get extra lanes of the roadway in an otherwise traffic heavy area, easing congestion
• A new transit terminal and elevator pavilion, connects travellers with the new hospital set to open along Major Mackenzie Drive
•  Connections to the new 427 Highway extension to Highway 50 and Highway 27

• York Regional Council continues to invest and make transportation improvements a priority, outlined in the 10-year Roads and Transit Capital Construction Program
• Roads are identified for improvements for a variety of reasons including enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists, managing assets in a state of good repair and improving traffic flow to accommodate population growth by adding new lanes or creating new roads
• To support the growing communities in Vaughan, construction is planned for over 20 locations in the next five years. These projects will include:
  • Road reconstruction and widening
  • New transit terminal connecting to the new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital
  • Intersection upgrades and improvements to enhance traffic operations
  • Pavement repair, preservation and rehabilitation
• As York Region’s population and businesses grow, public roads are accommodating more travellers, goods and services
  • Vaughan’s population is forecasted to grow from 316,000 in 2016 to 497,400 by 2041
  • Vaughan’s employment is forecasted to grow from 209,200 jobs in 2016 to 321,500 jobs by 2041
  • The travel growth in the area (daily trips to and from Vaughan) is forecasted to grow from 895,400 in 2016 to 1,315,700 by 2041, an 47% increase
• By expanding or upgrading infrastructure, we are ensuring we meet the needs of our growing communities now, rather than waiting until we run out of capacity

• York Region has a 10-year Roads and Transit Capital Construction Program which outlines infrastructure projects across the Region. Capital projects are undertaken to improve the community for all York Region residents
• While serving growth remains important, capital spending also focuses on asset management to extend the life of assets, such as roads and bridges, and reduce total costs over their life cycle. These investments help ensure that assets are in a state of good repair for current and future residents
• The Region and the City of Vaughan are investing in transportation improvements over the next five years to support the record growth in the area, the construction being completed by our partners and to maintain our roads in a state of good repair
  • Infrastructure being constructed by the Region and our partners includes:
    • Road widening and York Region Transit (YRT) bus terminal construction on Major Mackenzie Drive, from Highway 400 to Jane Street, with a direct benefit to the newly constructed Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital
    • Installation of water, wastewater and telecom infrastructure and planting street trees as part of road construction projects
• The Region is addressing the growing needs of City of Vaughan residents, businesses and the travelling public, as traffic congestion is identified as the number one public concern in Vaughan
• To maximize as much work as possible, the majority of construction projects are completed in the warmer months when the ground is not frozen and temperatures for mixing and laying asphalt is ideal and traffic volumes are lower

• Whenever possible, York Region coordinates with the City of Vaughan, developers, utility companies and other agencies, including the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), Metrolinx, rail authorities, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and York Telecom Network (YTN), when planning construction projects within the Region. Effective coordination may result in financial benefits and can help minimize impacting the public multiple times 
• Staff work closely with local municipal staff to ensure town and city municipal infrastructure requirements, such as watermains, sewers, streetlights, sidewalks, streetscaping and active transportation facilities are included in regional projects where possible. While this coordination does increase efficiency, provide local municipalities with cost and time savings, and reduce the overall impact to travellers, it does increase the scope of work, complexity and project duration
• Due to the complexity and timing requirements of certain projects, it is sometimes not possible to avoid construction on adjacent or parallel roads

• York Regional Council continues to invest and make transportation improvements a priority, outlined in the 10-year Roads and Transit Capital Construction Program
• Growth-related projects focus on building additional capacity on Regional roads to serve growing communities. Projects include reconstructing and widening of roads and bridges, building new connections in the Regional road network, including midblock crossings over Provincial highways and upgrading intersections to improve traffic operations
• The Asset Management Program focuses on rehabilitation and replacement of existing transportation assets, including pavement repair, preservation and rehabilitation; bridge and culvert rehabilitation or replacement and intersection improvements, including reconstruction of traffic control signals and upgrades to meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements
• Asset Management projects are not included in the Region’s 10-Year Roads and Transit Capital Construction Program, as these projects are typically only added to the program one to three years in advance. This allows for projects to be prioritized annually and for work to be carried out on the assets that will benefit most from rehabilitation. The rehabilitation strategy will depend on the condition of the asset and any long-term plans, such as an upcoming growth project

• It takes 8 to 10 years to deliver major road projects. Environmental Assessment study, road design, property acquisition, utility relocation and permits all have to be completed before construction can begin. Coordinating work with our partners, including ministries, City of Vaughan, conservation authorities, utility companies and developers is important to ensure disruption to travellers and the community is minimized

• Safety is a priority on all of York Region’s construction sites. For everyone’s safety, reduce your speed through the construction area
• Signage is put in place around a construction area to communicate to travellers what is going on and how to travel safely through the work zone
• Please contact us at @email if you notice any safety issues in and around the construction sites

Measures are taken to reduce the length of construction projects and reduce impacts to the community, including connecting and coordinating with other agencies that are building in the area. We regularly analyze and review traveller data to determine the best options to ease traffic delays during construction. We care about our communities and are committed to delivering transportation improvements safely while minimizing disruptions as best as possible. 

To minimize impacts, we try to keep as many lanes open as possible and avoid lane closures during peak periods.

• Off-peak lane reductions take place during the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
• Days and hours of construction/lane reductions may be modified for each project, depending on the scope of the project, the area and construction schedule. There are also exceptions for emergency or urgent projects
• Night and weekend work, 24-hour shifts and other off-peak hour work are considered for each project

• Night work is not always an option in a construction project. Depending on the location, a construction site could be adjacent to residential areas and noise bylaw restrictions are in place to limit construction during evening hours
• Some construction activities are better conducted during the day due to lighting
• Night work is considered on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on the area, the number of residents, travellers, businesses, and the additional cost to conduct the work. Night work is also more costly as there are often premiums associated with it

• Weather is a large factor in delaying a construction project
  • To conduct paving work, weather conditions have to be clear, the surface has to be dry and above a specified temperature depending on the type of asphalt being used
• Unknown factors
  • During excavation, contaminated soil could be uncovered and would need to be disposed of at an approved and registered waste disposal site, capable of receiving hazardous and waste material, as authorized under Part V of the Environmental Protection Act
  • Unknown utilities
• Environmentally sensitive areas
  • There are specific timing windows when a contractor can construct near these areas
• Delays to construction may be affected by COVID-19 and Public Health guidelines

• To help travellers plan ahead during road construction, we install advance signage, post messages on social media and our website, and distribute notices
• Travellers are encouraged to use traffic and navigation tools. York Region provides real-time traffic and road information in open data, used by many apps
• Find us on social media: @YorkRegionGovt

• Bridges and culverts each have a service life that needs to be maintained
• York Region conducts routine inspections of all its structures to determine if a bridge and/or culvert needs to be reconstructed or replaced to ensure safer travel for all users

• Trees may be removed to accommodate a construction project. Every tree within the construction zone is inventoried and tree protection fencing is installed to protect the trees not designated for removal
• At the end of construction, a variety of trees and shrubs are planted by York Region to replace the trees that had to be removed. Trees that are removed will be replaced at approximately a 3:1 ratio with new trees

• Construction adjacent to or within environmentally sensitive areas adhere to all protection timing restrictions depending on the species present
• All project areas are reviewed and inventoried on-site during the design phase to ensure construction doesn’t interfere with any sensitive species’ life processes

• Residents, business owners and travellers may see construction activity on a Regional road prior to the planned work taking place. This work is related to utility relocations, which needs to be completed before construction can begin
• This work may happen years in advance of construction beginning
• This work may take several years to complete, depending on the complexity of the work and the amount of utility companies within the project limits
• This work needs to be completed cautiously to ensure residents and business owners always have power, gas and internet during this work and beyond

Many construction workers are injured or killed each year when working on roads. When driving through construction zones motorists must:

• Slow down early when approaching construction zones
• Be patient and obey signs and signal persons
• Merge well in advance when lanes are reduced ahead
• Avoid lane changes, give yourself extra following space and be ready to stop
• Do not speed up quickly when leaving construction zones
• Do not pass construction vehicles when their amber lights are flashing
• Plan ahead and expect delays

Visit our Traffic Safety Program page for more safety tips.  

• It is very important to obey ALL work zone signs, workers and pavement markings
• Watch where you are going. Your primary responsibility is to travel through the work zone as safely as you can
• Orange Work Zone Signs – these signs communicate to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists what is going on and how to travel safely through the work zone. They can also indicate that a sidewalk is closed and that a detour must be taken
• Pavement Markings –painted or taped lines on the pavement separate car travel lanes and can also indicate pedestrian and cyclist paths
• During construction, some sidewalks may be closed. Pedestrians may be required to move to the other side of the road or to a temporary pedestrian walkway
• Use designated pedestrian crosswalks and traffic lights to cross the street before reaching a construction zone and DO NOT cross in the middle of the road
• Please DO NOT walk on the roadway beside the barriers

Please be alert and aware of your surroundings when travelling near construction areas.

Visit our Traffic Safety Program page for more safety tips.  

Please contact Transportation Operations, Public Works at @email or call 1-877-464-9675 ext. 75000