Rutherford Road

What are the benefits of this project?
Improvements include:

• Reduced traffic congestion with two extra lanes of roadway
• A safer commute with rehabilitated roads, upgraded traffic signals that meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) standards, and enhanced roadway illumination
• A connected transportation network for cyclists
• A new sidewalk on the north side of Rutherford Road, between Jane Street and Springside Road
• Upgraded traffic signals and enhanced roadway illumination
• Travellers will also get rehabilitated roads, ensuring a safer commute for all road users

Why did the culverts need to be replaced?
A culvert is a tunnel or crossing located under a road. It can be built to transport either water, people or animals.

York Region conducts routine inspections of its infrastructure. Through ongoing inspections, it has was determined two culverts needed to be replaced and two needed to be extended to support the widened roadway and to ensure safe travel on Rutherford Road.

Are there any lane closures or reductions associated with this project?

• From late fall 2025 to fall 2026, Rutherford Road is reduced to one lane in each direction between Creditstone Road/Melville Avenue and Greenock Drive to accommodate work on the rail bridge
• Lanes are being maintained throughout the construction period during peak travel hours. To achieve this, lane width reductions will be in place and speed has been temporarily reduced in the construction area
• Traffic lanes will be shifting throughout construction during off-peak and peak hours
• Extended lane closure hours may be required to construct portions of the roadway safely
• York Region will provide advance notice whenever possible

Will there be any work at night, or on weekends and holidays?
Yes, work will be required outside of regular hours to expedite the project. Examples include paving the roadway and pavement markings, storm sewer and culvert road crossing work, and CN Railway bridge construction.

Why are these improvements taking place?
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

Why does construction happen all at once?
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. Over the next 10 years, $1.4 billion will go to rehabilitating and replacing existing assets. 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

Does York Region coordinate with other projects happening in the area?
Whenever possible, York Region coordinates with the City of Vaughan, developers, utility companies, Environmental Services and other agency infrastructure programs, 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 and reducing disruption to travellers.

Due to the complexity and timing requirements of certain projects, it is sometimes not possible to avoid construction on adjacent or parallel roads.

How are residents impacted by the project being informed?
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

Why would drivers not see workers?
Dependent on the section of road, you may not see workers because:

• Work is happening below the road elevation and work is away from driver line of sight at road level; at the CN bridge, work is currently at track level and at the culvert, work is at the watercourse level
• Work may not be happening on certain days due to inclement weather and even after the weather event, for example after a heavy rainfall, the contractor needs to wait until water recedes and things get dry
• Work may be happening at one end of the road and no work somewhere else due to scheduling of work activities/sub-contractors or sequencing of activities, for example waiting for concrete to cure

Why is the completion delayed?
The delay in completion of the road works is primarily due to a combination of unforeseen site conditions and complex coordination requirements. During construction, unexpected utility conflicts and unforeseen ground conditions were discovered, both of which required engineered solutions to resolve. Severe storms also delayed progress, particularly west of Greenock Drive, where flooding impacted culvert installation and work could not proceed until water had receded.

When do you expect to complete the work on Rutherford Road, other than at the CN bridge?
Most road widening and intersection improvements are expected to be completed by Fall 2025. Rutherford Road is expected to be open to six lanes by the end of 2025, excluding the CN bridge section from Creditstone Road/Melville Avenue and Greenock Drive.

When do you expect to complete the work at the CN bridge?
Now that the foundation and piers are complete, the work in the upcoming months will proceed to the bridge deck and roadway above the CN rail corridor. Staff are working closely with CN Rail and provided we are continually and consistently afforded the opportunity and necessary permissions to work, bridge work is expected to be complete by Fall 2026. 

What type of work is taking place at the bridge?
York Region is replacing and expanding the bridge to align with the newly widened roadway and increase capacity.
Construction includes:

• Installing detour tracks under the bridge to shift train traffic and create safe work zones
• Constructing pier extensions (bridge supports)
• Working at street level, shifting traffic so crews can work on the north side of the bridge
• Removing the existing bridge deck and old girders
• Installing new girders and replacing the bridge deck - including pouring concrete, waterproofing, paving, installing multi-use paths and railings
• Flipping traffic lanes to the completed side of the bridge and working on the south side

Why is bridge widening necessary? 
As York Region’s population and businesses grow, public roads are accommodating more travellers, goods and services. The Region is widening and improving Rutherford Road in the City of Vaughan to address the needs of residents, businesses and the travelling public.
Replacing and widening of the CN Rail bridge will create a continuous six lane roadway from Highway 400 to Bathurst Street. Leaving the bridge in the current four lane width would result in a bottleneck on this important corridor.

How long will lane restrictions be in place?
Approximately one year, from late Fall 2025 to Fall 2026.

What can drivers expect?

• Rutherford Road is reduced to one lane in each direction between Creditstone Road/Melville Avenue and Greenock Drive to accommodate work on the CN Rail bridge
• While lanes are fully open on either side of the bridge, traffic will slow down as it passes through the section with reduced lanes
• Access will be maintained for all driveways/entrances
• Signs will guide travellers

Why was the work at the CN bridge delayed?
Widening and replacing the bridge over the CN Rail yard, while maintaining train operations at one of the largest and busiest rail yards in North America, has been extremely challenging. The trains operate around the clock and any work in the rail corridor requires access from CN Rail. CN has a responsibility to maintain yard operations, which has made accommodating the Region’s bridge construction difficult. CN Rail is also working in the same corridor to add a track to further expand its rail operations. 

Replacing and widening the bridge over the CN Rail tracks requires extensive work underground and at track level, followed by the bridge deck and roadway above the tracks. Restrictions required by CN Rail prohibit work near active rail tracks for the structural integrity of rail infrastructure and safety. This has significantly impacted progress that was originally planned. While most of the work underground and at track level is complete, this was only accomplished by moving railway tracks to create dedicated work zones, so work could proceed. 

Why is bridge work elsewhere done faster but it is taking much longer at the CN bridge?
Unlike typical bridge projects, this one involves accommodating around-the-clock train operations. CN Rail’s operational constraints and the need for specialized construction sequencing make this project more complex and time-consuming than others.

To mitigate restrictions implemented by CN Rail, prohibiting work near active rail tracks, 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 had to 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 constructing this solution have delayed completion of the bridge. 

The Region has successfully completed a number of bridge widenings over rail tracks, including CN Rail tracks, most recently on Keele Street, north of Highway 407. The Region anticipated this location, given its proximity to the Macmillan Yard, would be more difficult and had planned for some reduced productivity. Unfortunately, changes to restrictions placed on the Region’s contractor once work had started and changes to CN’s business operations, has made work much more challenging than anticipated.

Why do the lanes need to be reduced to one lane in each direction at the CN bridge?
Due to the nature of the bridge work, including structural modifications and safety risks, the work zone must remain closed at all times
To replace and widen the existing bridge, the existing bridge deck and structure below will be completely removed and replaced. Currently, there are two lanes in each direction on the existing bridge. To remove and replace the bridge in two stages, half of the bridge will need to be closed at a time and only one lane open in either direction on Rutherford Road, between Creditstone Road/Melville Avenue and Greenock Drive continuously, while bridge construction is underway.  As the roadway and the deck will be completely removed, lanes cannot be re-opened to traffic until the bridge deck has been reinstated at the end of each stage.

Why don’t I see crews working? 
You may not see workers because work is happening below the bridge, away from driver line of sight, work may be paused due to inclement weather and wet conditions, or work may be happening at another location due to contractor scheduling and sequencing of activities, for example waiting for concrete to cure.

How can I stay informed? 

• Visit this project page for current information and to sign up for e-news
• Use traffic and navigation tools to plan your commute. York Region provides real-time traffic and road information in open data, used by many apps
• Follow us @YorkRegionGovt on social