Archive for December, 2009

Reflecting back on a year of many milestones!

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

With a new year just around the corner, we wanted to celebrate by reflecting back on some significant milestones for vivaNext in 2009.

In early spring, the Province of Ontario committed $1.4 billion for the construction of dedicated rapidways along Davis Drive, Highway 7 and Yonge Street for Viva vehicles.

The following month, the Ministry of the Environment unconditionally approved the Environmental Project Report for the proposed Yonge subway extension.

Around this time, our new website was also launched along with this blog and other social media initiatives to help keep you informed of all the latest vivaNext developments.

By the fall, preliminary rapidway construction activities were underway in Newmarket and Markham, and a contract for conceptual design work regarding the Yonge subway extension was awarded. In addition, preliminary station designs were also unveiled for several of the Spadina subway extension stations at a series of public open houses, and the project took an important step forward with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Wilson Subway Yard.

Then, just before the holiday season, a ceremony was held on the site of the planned rapidway alongside Enterprise Drive in Markham (which is part of the Highway 7 rapidway project) to commemorate the start of construction of the first 37 km of rapidways.

From every side of York Region, this past year has been filled with milestones for the vivaNext projects. We look forward to bringing you many more in 2010.

Happy New Year from vivaNext!

Reminder: All YRT\Viva rides are free on New Year’s Eve after 7 p.m.

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Posted in Announcements, General, Urban Planning, vivaNext.com | No Comments »

Happy holiday fun to you and yours from vivaNext!

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Pick colourful candies out of the jar to decorate your very own gingerbread house.

Pick colourful candies out of the jar to decorate your very own gingerbread house.

There are all kinds of great ways to celebrate the holiday season. Spending time with family and friends…making snow angels…eating way too much food…drinking hot cocoa…hitting the slopes…and one of our favourites here at vivaNext…decorating gingerbread houses.

That’s why, this holiday season, we’ve created a fun little gingerbread house for you to decorate and share online. It includes a jar full of colourful candy, all sorts of hidden treats, some merry holiday music, an animated snowman, and of course, a warm reminder that there’s no place like home sweet home for the holidays. And with vivaNext, no faster or easier way to get there.

We hope you have as much fun decorating it, as we had creating it. No doubt your finished gingerbread house will look good enough to eat.

Happy holidays from vivaNext!

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Posted in Fun & Games, vivaNext.com | No Comments »

Rapidway construction begins in York Region on Enterprise Drive!

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Today, an on-site ceremony was held on Enterprise Drive in Markham to commemorate the start of 70 kilometres of vivaNext rapidway construction in York Region.

VivaNext – York Region’s plan for the next generation of rapid transit – includes a network of several rapidways across the Region. They are the east-west Highway 7 rapidway from Highway 50 in Vaughan to Reesor Road in Markham, the north-south Yonge Street rapidway from the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal in Richmond Hill to Green Lane in Newmarket, and the east-west Davis Drive rapidway from Yonge Street to the Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

The rapidways will take Viva vehicles out of mixed traffic and into their own dedicated lanes, where they will safely speed past congestion, no matter what time of day.

The 800 metres of rapidways being built on Enterprise Drive, between Warden Avenue and Birchmount Road, are part of the Highway 7 rapidway project.

“This construction phase is truly significant, as it marks the beginning of a new stage of rapid transit in York Region,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch. “Together with the Government of Ontario, we are building a modern transit system to ensure we keep pace with the planned growth in York Region and preserve the quality of life our residents have come to expect.”

Rapidway construction on Enterprise Drive, which will be completed by the end of 2010, will involve the installation of concrete platform foundations, curbs, and the placement of station canopies. No road closures will be required; only short-term temporary lane closures.

“This is great news for the people of York Region and the GTA,” said Markham-Unionville MPP Michael Chan. “The project signals the start of a faster, more convenient rapid transit network that will enable people to get around more easily, improve the ability of our businesses to grow and succeed and help improve the environment.”

As construction of the rapidways gets underway, we encourage you to add vivanext.com to your list of favourite websites for quick and easy access to the latest information and construction updates. While there, you can also sign up to receive our quarterly e-newsletter in your Inbox, along with customized email updates about vivaNext projects of particular interest to you.

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Posted in Announcements, Press, Rapidways | 1 Comment »

Montreal tops list of “9 Great Streets Around The World”!

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Crowds pack Boulevard Saint Laurent during a street festival. Photo courtesy of Djof.

Crowds pack Boulevard Saint Laurent during a street festival. Photo courtesy of Djof.

Project for Public Spaces (PPS), an internationally-recognized non-profit organization that helps communities get the most out of their streets, both as transportation links for all modes of commuters and as vital places for people to enjoy, recently compiled its list of “9 Great Streets Around The World”.

Affectionately known as “The Main”, Montreal’s Boulevard Saint Laurent tops PPS’s list for a number of reasons including its Access & Linkages, Comfort & Image, Uses & Activities, and Sociability.

With vivaNext, this kind of placemaking will also take place along York Region’s busiest corridors as people come to live, work, shop and play in close proximity to great transit service. In addition to great access, vivaNext will bring attractive boulevards, planted medians and an enhanced pedestrian experience including continuous, wide sidewalks.

We wouldn’t be at all surprised if Highway 7, Yonge Street and Davis Drive top the PPS list of great streets in years to come!

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Posted in Live-work-play, Urban Planning | 1 Comment »

The Spadina subway extension moves forward!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
From left: Vaughan Mayor Linda Jackson, Ontario Minister of Transportation Jim Bradley, Toronto Mayor David Miller, Federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty and TTC Chair Adam Giambrone begin the work on the Spadina subway extension.

From left: Vaughan Mayor Linda Jackson, Ontario Transportation Jim Bradley, Toronto Mayor David Miller, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and TTC Chair Adam Giambrone begin work on the Spadina subway extension Friday.

This past Friday, November 27, 2009, a groundbreaking ceremony of a link that will connect the future Spadina subway extension mainline to the existing Wilson Subway Yard and expand yard storage facilities was held.

Government dignitaries in attendance at the Wilson Yard connection site included the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Canada’s Minister of Finance; the Honourable Jim Bradley, Ontario Transportation Minister; His Worship David Miller, Mayor of Toronto; Her Worship Linda Jackson, Mayor of Vaughan; and Toronto Transit Commission chair Adam Giambrone.

“This is another significant step forward that will help meet the Greater Toronto Area’s future network needs,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch. “As York Region continues to grow and mature, it is imperative to have the proper infrastructure and resources in place for both residents and businesses today and in the future.”

Extending from the Downsview Station in Toronto to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station in Vaughan, the Spadina subway extension will cover a total of 8.6 kilometres and include six stations. Every day, almost as many people travel north to York Region from Toronto as vice versa — including many of the 50,000 students and staff who study and work at York University.

The completion date for the Spadina subway extension is 2015. The $2.6 billion funding required for the project has been secured from all levels of government including $697 million from the Government of Canada, $870 million from the Province of Ontario, $352 million from York Region and $526 million from the City of Toronto.

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Posted in Announcements, Press, Stations, Subways | No Comments »