The Regional Municipality of York has tapped AtkinsRéalis to provide design and engineering services for the widening of Highway 27 in the City of Vaughan.

The goal of the project is to reduce congestion by widening the road from two to four lanes between Major Mackenzie Drive and just north of Nashville Road, as well as improve the user experience through the addition of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

“Connecting communities is at the heart of what we do,” said Stéphanie Vaillancourt, President, Canada, AtkinsRéalis. “With a track record of delivering road and highway projects across Canada and around the world, we’re bringing our world class expertise and local insights to York Region. The local team will provide on-the-ground know-how with support from our national and international specialists.”

Highway 27 runs north-south, connecting Barrie and communities northwest of Toronto to the rest of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and downtown Toronto, with links to routes such as Highways 401, 407, and 427. Like many roads in the GTA, Highway 27 faces significant congestion, which affects livability, economic productivity, and air quality in Vaughan and the broader region.

As the project’s engineering consultant, AtkinsRéalis will provide detailed design, contract administration, and inspection services for the urbanization and widening of Highway 27. Its scope of services will also include:

• the detailed design of active transportation features: including sidewalks, cycle tracks, and multi-use pathways,
• the evaluation and rehabilitation, or replacement design, of the Humber River bridge north of Major Mackenzie Drive,
• the detailed design of the widening of the Humber River bridge south of Nashville Road, and
• the detailed design of retaining walls and noise barriers.

Toronto-area commuters spend 98 hours each year in rush hour traffic, the highest in North America, according to the Toronto Board of Trade. Congestion costs the region nearly $45 billion annually. Expanding sections of Highway 27 aims to reduce congestion and open up land for housing development.

AtkinsRéalis has undertaken numerous congestion-relieving road projects for both Peel Region and York Region, in support of their growing populations. It also has a Materials Testing Laboratory in Vaughan, where it supports a broad range of road infrastructure work for clients across the GTA, as well as Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation.