Vaughan, ON: August 5, 2025– AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear company with offices around the world, has been selected by the Regional Municipality of York (York Region) to provide design and engineering services for the widening of Highway 27 in the City of Vaughan. The goal is to reduce congestion by widening the road from two to four lanes between Major Mackenzie Drive and just north of Nashville Road, as well as improve the user experience through the addition of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
“Connecting communities is at the heart of what we do,” said Stéphanie Vaillancourt, President, Canada, AtkinsRéalis. “With a track record of delivering road and highway projects across Canada and around the world, we’re bringing our world class expertise and local insights to York Region. The local team will provide on-the-ground know-how with support from our national and international specialists.”
Highway 27 runs north-south in Ontario, connecting Barrie and communities northwest of Toronto to the rest of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and downtown Toronto, with links to routes such as Highways 401, 407, and 427. Like many roads in the GTA, Highway 27 faces significant congestion, which affects livability, economic productivity, and air quality in Vaughan and the broader region.
As engineering consultant to York Region, AtkinsRéalis will provide detailed design, contract
administration, and inspection services for the urbanization and widening of Highway 27. In addition, the proposed scope of services will include:
- The detailed design of active transportation features: including sidewalks, cycle tracks, and multi-use pathways.
- The evaluation and rehabilitation, or replacement design, of the Humber River bridge north of Major Mackenzie Drive. This will include considerations for its potential heritage status.
- The detailed design of the widening of the Humber River bridge south of Nashville Road.
- The detailed design of retaining walls and noise barriers.
Toronto-area commuters spend 98 hours each year in rush hour traffic, the highest in North America, according to the Toronto Board of Trade. Congestion costs the region nearly $45 billion annually. Expanding sections of Highway 27 aims to reduce congestion and open up land for housing development.
AtkinsRéalis has undertaken numerous congestion-relieving road projects for both Peel Region and York Region, in support of their growing populations. The Company also has a Materials Testing Laboratory in Vaughan, where it supports a broad range of road infrastructure work for clients across the GTA, as well as Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation.
AtkinsRéalis is recruiting for several municipal and highway engineer roles in the GTA. Current opportunities are listed on our careers site.
About AtkinsRéalis
Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
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