Road Ecology Center

St. John’s Sideroad, is a major east-west arterial under the jurisdiction of the Regional Municipality of York (York Region). It is located in the Town of Aurora, Ontario, Canada and lies within the watershed of the East Holland, Lake Simcoe basin. This unique project involved the widening and reconstruction of a two-kilometre section of St. John’s Sideroad between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue.

As a result of increased traffic volumes due to highly active residential development in the area, the existing two-lane rural road section could not meet the needs of the growing population (figure 1). In response to the proposed development growth in the Town, the Class Environmental Assessment study undertaken for the project identified that additional roadway capacity was needed, and recommended that this section of roadway be widened to a four-lane urban cross-section.