Rutherford Road - Summer Update
York Region is improving Rutherford Road from Highway 400 to Westburne Drive in the City of Vaughan. Features include two additional traffic lanes from Jane Street to Westburne Drive, culvert replacements and extensions, new cycle tracks and sidewalks, upgraded traffic signals and street lighting, streetscaping and a freshly paved road surface. Improvements will accommodate growth and create more transportation options.
Completed in 2024
- Widened Rutherford Road eastbound from east of the CN Rail bridge to Keele Street
- Updated two intersections with designated left turn lanes, including Rutherford Road at Melville Avenue and at Greenock Drive
- Replaced a six-metre box culvert between Tesma Way and Greenock Drive
- Installed new cycle tracks and sidewalks • Started work at the Canadian National (CN) Rail bridge including stabilizing the slope and installing pier extensions
Construction planned for this summer/fall
- Continue work to widen westbound lanes between east of the CN Rail bridge and Keele Street, pave base course, install sidewalks and cycle tracks
- Install medians and irrigation systems and plant trees and shrubs around new culverts
- Complete traffic signal installation and activate those not impacted by bridge construction
- Modify the intersection of Keele Street and Sherwood Park Drive to improve traffic flow and the pedestrian crossing
- Continue work on the CN Rail bridge
Bridge over CN Rail tracks
Expanding the bridge over the CN Rail tracks requires extensive work underground, at track level, and on the bridge and roadway above the tracks.
Completing this work, while maintaining operations at one of the largest and busiest rail yards in North America, has been extremely challenging. Trains operate around the clock. Any work in the area requires coordination with CN Rail and their permission. Restrictions implemented by CN Rail, prohibiting work near active rail tracks, have not allowed work to progress as originally planned.
To mitigate these restrictions, a detour track was built, creating a dedicated work zone that allowed work to proceed and two large pier extensions on the west side were completed. To complete the pier extensions on the east side, a new rail track must be installed, requiring slope stabilization, watermain protection and retaining wall construction.
The time needed to investigate and revise the designs, to add and relocate the new rail track, and the time spent constructing this solution have delayed completion of the bridge.
The east pier extensions are expected to be complete in late 2025. Once complete, work will begin to demolish and remove the old bridge and roadway, then replace it with a new, wider structure.
We recognize the impact of this delay and continue to work closely with CN Rail to ensure progress.
Timeline
Widening Rutherford Road from Jane Street to Westburne Drive/Barhill Road to six lanes, including CN Rail bridge widening, is expected to be completed by fall 2026.
Traffic impacts during construction
- Two lanes will be open in each direction with work mainly taking place outside peak travel times
- Traffic may be reduced to one lane in each direction during off-peak travel times
- In late 2025, Rutherford Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Creditstone Road/Melville Avenue and Greenock Drive to accommodate bridge work
York Region
Phone: 1-877-464-9675 ext. 75000 or dial 711 with a TTY device
Email: [email protected]
After hours emergency: 1-877-464-9675 ext. 75200
