Durham Works wins Project of the Year Award for Whitby street widening project
Published June 9, 2022 at 1:58 pm
The Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) has awarded Durham Region the Project of the Year award for its widening of Whitby’s Victoria St.
The project expanded Victoria St from two to four lanes through the protected Lynde Shores Wetland Conservation Area. The area is home to numerous Species at Risk (SAR) including; rare plants, marsh birds, muskrats, reptiles and amphibians.
As a result the three-year project placed paramount importance on protecting this highly sensitive greenspace. The Region worked closely with the Central Lakes Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) to ensure minimal disruption of the natural environment.
Due to this environmental focus the OPWA selected the Victoria St. project for the Environment Project of the Year. This award is given to the project that, “promotes excellent management and administration of public works projects in municipalities across Ontario,” per the Region.
Durham described the project as environmentally and technically challenging. However the works department was able to minimize damage to the ecosystem.
They also built a new wetland on Halls Rd to expand Lynde Shores and offset the land taken over by the new lanes.
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Regional Chair John Henry acclaimed the win saying, ““Thank you to all teams involved in the widening and reconstruction of Victoria Street in the Township of Whitby.”
“I am pleased to see this innovative work taking place to ensure our roads are designed and constructed with the safety of Durham residents and visitors in mind, while supporting environmental sustainability – a high priority for the Region.”
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