East Gwillimbury GO Station parking construction to begin in spring
Aurora GO Station won't have its additional 69 spaces until 2023.

YorkRegion.com
March 26,2018
Teresa Latchford

East Gwillimbury GO Station users can expect new parking spaces by the end of the year, but Aurora will have to wait a little longer.

Earlier this month, Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard announced the addition of nearly 550 new parking spaces at the two stations. The East Gwillimbury GO Station located on Green Lane will have 482 new spaces and Aurora, located on Wellington Street, will get an additional 69 spaces.

“These improvements will benefit our entire community and help us meet the growing demand for transit,” Ballard said. “I’m thrilled that the concerns of local residents regarding parking availability in Aurora have been acted upon.”

It is a common complaint among users at both stations that the number of parking spaces available don’t match the demand as users attempt to park and take the GO train to their destinations.

Construction of the new spaces at the East Gwillimbury station is expected to begin this spring, according to Metrolinx spokesperson Suniya Kukaswadia.

“The expansion should provide some much-needed parking relief for customers at the station,” she said. “Once a contractor is on board, they will excavate the excess soil to a predetermined grade.”

Following the completion of the grading, the construction site will be built back up with granular material and topped off with two layers of asphalt, she continued.

Retaining walls will also be constructed to ensure the parking area remains level since the property naturally slopes toward Main Street.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

But the story isn’t quite the same for the Aurora GO Station.

Under the GO Transit expansion plan to provide frequent all-day, two-way electrified service north of Toronto, the station will receive 69 additional spaces above what is already offered at the parking structure.

“The new spaces will be located on the station property near 12 Industrial Pky. S., just east of the current parking lots,” Kukaswadia said. “Curbing will be installed throughout the new parking lot to manage traffic flow effectively.”

The construction will begin in 2019 but isn’t expected to be completed until 2023.