Every spring, they show up like clockwork. No headlights, no engines. Just small, slow-moving salamanders trying to cross a very busy road.

For years, that stretch of Stouffville Road in Richmond Hill, Ontario, had to shut down so endangered Jefferson Salamanders could make it across safely. It worked, but it was never meant to be permanent.

But for the first time this spring, the salamanders are making that same journey using tunnels built just for them, tucked beneath the road between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street.

It is a quieter solution. And a longer-lasting one.

Each spring and fall, Jefferson Salamanders travel between their breeding grounds and habitat in the Oak Ridges Moraine. To get there, they have to cross Stouffville Road, a route that has long put them at risk.

York Region used to temporarily close the road during migration periods. At the same time, scientists were studying the animals closely, collecting data on how they move, where they go, and how populations are connected.

That research became the blueprint.

Last summer, York Region installed two permanent tunnels beneath the road, designed specifically for the salamanders. Alongside them, exclusion fencing was added to gently guide the animals toward the tunnel entrances and away from traffic above.

The goal is to simply allow salamanders to move safely without stopping everything else.

The tunnels are now in place as a long-term fix, one that protects an endangered species while keeping the road open year-round. It is the kind of infrastructure most people will never notice unless they are looking for it.

But for the salamanders, it changes everything.

York Region says the tunnel design reflects years of research into salamander behaviour and habitat. Placement, structure, and guidance systems all come from that work, not guesswork.

Gerard Sullivan, an Environmental Specialist with York Region Public Works, also explains the importance of the tunnels in a video released alongside the project.

The effort brought together York Region, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and community support, all focused on protecting a species that depends on a very specific slice of land.

That land, part of the Oak Ridges Moraine, remains one of the salamanders’ most important habitats.

Now, instead of waiting for road closures, the salamanders have a path of their own.