Frequently Asked Questions

Vaughan is one of Ontario’s fastest-growing communities, with a population of more than 344,000. By 2051, it is anticipated that the city will be home to 228,800 more people, bringing the total expected population to 570,400 people. The City must continue to focus its efforts on ensuring an efficient and reliable transportation system that ultimately gets people where they need to go in a safe and sustainable way – America Avenue and Canada Drive have been identified as key commuter routes and therefore, connecting the two streets via a bridge will help keep the flow of traffic moving. 

An EA is a planning and decision-making tool used to predict the environmental effects of proposed initiatives before they are carried out. An EA:

• identifies potential adverse environmental effects.
• proposes measures to mitigate adverse environmental effects.
• predicts whether there will be significant adverse environmental effects after mitigation measures are implemented includes a follow-up program to verify the accuracy of the EA and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures.

The EA study report provides:

• a background to the study.
• an overview of the consultation process.
• the need and justification for the study.
• a description of existing conditions.
• the alternative solutions and design concepts.
• a description of the suggested bridge design.
• a summary of anticipated impacts and suggested mitigation measures to implement prior to, during and after construction.

In this area, residents are restricted to using major roads such as Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive to get to either side of Highway 400, which results in longer travel distances, increased commuting  times and more congestion at major intersections. Traffic and development in the area will continue to grow and will eventually exceed the capacity of the existing road network.

Similar to all public roadways in Vaughan, the bridge will be accessible to pedestrians, cyclists, road users and all vehicle types (within the bridge load limits). This bridge is considered a community bridge and features has been included in the design to minimize the commercial vehicle traffic infiltration through the residential neighbourhood. 

Similar to all public roadways in Vaughan, the bridge will be accessible to pedestrians, cyclists, road users and all vehicle types (within the bridge load limits). This bridge is considered a community bridge. Features have been included in the design to minimize the commercial vehicle traffic infiltration through the residential neighbourhood. 

A pre-condition survey inspection, which is strongly recommended, requires the contractor to enter the directly impacted properties to inspect structural conditions prior to the bridge construction. This inspection comes at no cost to the owner. These records will form the baseline for any future concerns that may arise resulting from the construction activities. However, the survey is not mandated and the owners have the option to decline for the survey inspection to be undertaken on their property. 

If you have any questions about the pre-condition survey inspections, contact the project team via email at infrastructure.delivery@vaughan.ca.

Traffic-related concerns were ranked top-of-mind by residents and businesses as the critical issues facing the community  in the City’s 2022 Citizen Survey. To that end,  Vaughan Council approved a Nine Point Action Plan to Fight Traffic Gridlock, featuring several Council-approved city-building projects currently planned or underway that will enhance residents’ quality of life and strengthen the City’s economic competitiveness to retain and attract investment. The Canada Drive America Avenue Bridge is one of the nine projects identified in the plan. 

The transportation objectives of the City’s Official Plan Amendment No. 600 (PDF) identifies the need to establish a primary road connection over Highway 400 between Major Mackenzie Drive and Teston Road, referred to as Block 33 (PDF). 

An Environmental Assessment was completed in 2013, which determined Canada Drive and America Avenue as the preferred location of a future bridge over Highway 400. You can learn more about this study online. 

Construction of the bridge is expected to be complete by 2026.

The proposed speed limit for the bridge is 50 kilometres per hour.

The design of the bridge includes a two-lane road with sidewalks and bicycle lanes on both sides. The design also includes a minor system of catch basins and storm pipes to drain into the existing municipal drainage system.

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The City will employ the following measures to mitigate disruptions, such as noise, that may occur during construction:

• Complying with noise limits set by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the City’s local noise control by-law.

• Using construction equipment that meets the requirements of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

• Preventing unnecessary noise and vibration by maintaining equipment in proper working condition, including using non-defective muffler systems, properly securing various construction components and keeping moving parts well lubricated.

• Restricting the use of equipment to the minimum necessary to perform the specified work.

• Minimizing excessive idling.