The York Region and the Town of Richmond Hill are experiencing tremendous growth in population and employment. To respond to this growth, the Bayview Corridor Project widened the road and constructed structures on Bayview Avenue from Elgin Mills Road to Stouffville Road (4.7 km) to improve mobility for all corridor users including motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, with an innovative design enhancing the surrounding environment.

Our Approach Innovative Environmental Design

WSP provided project management, design and construction management services in collaboration with the Regional Municipality of York and Brennan Paving and Construction Ltd. for the project, which was recognized as the 2019 Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association.

Bayview Avenue’s roads were widened from two to four lanes with sidewalks on the west side and multi-use pathway on the east side. The intersections were also revamped to improve traffic operations.

A new stream channel with the length of 2.1 km and over 97,000 square feet (2.02 acres) of new brook trout fish habitat along the east side of the corridor was created. Most of the fish habitat along the west side of the corridor was protected and preserved during construction.

Pedestrians and cyclists can view the new stream corridor and wildlife from a newly constructed multi-use trail and two lookouts built on the east side of the corridor. The multiuse trail connects Richmond Hill with its neighbouring municipalities to the north and south, and is a segment within the 120 km Lake to Lake Cycling Route and Walking Trail, connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe.

Project Accolade

• 2019 Public Works Project of the Year Award, Transportation category, $25 million to $75 million division, from the American Public Works Association (APWA). Awarded for outstanding project management, design and construction management services

Services

Road Design, Water Resources, Electrical Engineering; Utility Coordination with Enbridge Gas, Bell and Alectra (hydro); Environmental Studies, Permit Applications and Approvals, Liaison with Environmental Oversight Agencies (TRCA, MNRF, MECP, DFO); Construction Liaison, Coordination and Negotiations with Adjacent Developers; Active Transportation Design including multi-use path; Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering

Features

Detailed design included extensive consultation and liaison with environmental agencies due to the requirement to relocate approximately 2km of active cold-water fishery adjacent to the roadway to accommodate the widening, as well as significant hydrogeological concerns regarding excavation and construction over the Oak Ridges Moraine aquifer, utility and CN Rail coordination. Complex phasing/staging required over two-year construction to accommodate dewatering/depressurization of the aquifer, utility relocations and environmental works while maintaining two-way traffic during construction.