Staff at the Region of Durham are celebrating a significant accomplishment.

The region’s Works Department was presented with a Project of the Year Award at the Canadian Public Works Association’s National Public Works Week event. The group received the award for the project to widen and reconstruct Victoria Street in Whitby.

Presented by the Ontario Public Works Association, the award recognizes excellent management and administration of public works projects in municipalities across Ontario.

Durham’s project was selected in the environment category for demonstrating an awareness and need to protect the environment.

Work on the project took more than three years to complete. It involved widening Victoria Street from two to four lanes through the Lynde Shores Wetland Conservation Area. The protected, highly sensitive wetland is home to a number of species at risk, including rare plants, marsh birds, muskrats, reptiles and amphibians.

Protecting the area’s natural environment was a high priority for this project.

In close partnership with the Central Lakes Ontario Conservation Authority, construction teams completed the project without significantly disturbing the surrounding ecosystem.

“I am pleased to see this innovative work taking place to ensure our roads are designed and constructed with the safety of Durham residents and visitors in mind, while supporting environmental sustainability,” said Regional Chair and CEO John Henry.

In addition to the road widening, the project included two new bridge structures crossing the Lynde Creek and a Lynde Creek tributary, two wildlife crossing culverts, a new multi-use path which served as a vital connection for the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, a new retaining soil system wall adjacent to the wetland, a wildlife lookout and new storm sewers.

The Region also built an entire new wetland on Halls Road to mitigate the portion of wetland that was lost to the road widening work.