Category: Announcements

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Announcements General

‘Holey’ ‘Moley’ tunnelling is complete!

photograph provided by The Toronto Transit Commission [TTC]

Here at vivaNext, we’re excited to announce that the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) project has achieved another significant milestone – tunnelling for the project is 100% complete!

In the summer of 2011, the first Tunnel boring machine (TBM) “Holey” began boring from a launch shaft at the Downsview Park Station site. Since then, rain or shine, TBMs “Holey”, “Moley”, “Yorkie” and “Torkie” have been working hard and have collectively bored 6.4 kilometres of twin tunnels for the TYSSE project.

The final segment of tunnelling was finished when “Torkie” broke through the headwall at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) Station site, finishing the tenth and final tunnel drive for the project. This sets the stage for the next phase of work in the tunnels including installation of inverts and walkways, track, traction power, signals and communications systems.

With help from our friends at Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) we have some pretty cool photos and videos of the breakthrough to share with you on our website – see them here!

The TYSSE is an 8.6-kilometre extension of the TTC’s Yonge-University-Spadina subway line from Downsview Station to the VMC Station at Highway 7 in York Region.

Vaughan’s VMC station will be the northernmost station, connecting to a variety of other transit services. Situated in the future VMC development area, this station will act as a transportation hub, including convenient passenger pick-up and drop-off, a York Region Transit bus terminal, and connection to the viva rapidway running in dedicated lanes east and west along Highway 7.

Residents and visitors alike will enjoy the variety of transit options and mixed-use development offered in the VMC area. It will be a great place to work, shop or relax, and getting there will be easy whether you walk or ride transit.

Construction work for the TYSSE project is expected to be completed by fall 2016. Once the subway extension is completed, it will have 6 new subway stations (check out the TYSSE guide to station names) and 3 new commuter parking lots.

To learn more about the TYSSE project and sign up for construction notices, visit vivanext.com.

Categories
Announcements Community Events Rapidways

you’re invited to our Yonge Street open houses!

The next generation of rapid transit is coming to Yonge Street in Richmond Hill and Newmarket! In both communities, Yonge Street will be widened to accommodate dedicated rapidway lanes in the centre of the road, providing fast, reliable, convenient transit, while enhancing the area as an attractive destination for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

In Richmond Hill, the rapidway will extend 6.5 km and include 7 new vivastations from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue/Gamble Road. In Newmarket, dedicated bus rapid transit lanes will run along 2.4 km and include 3 new vivastations from just south of Mulock Drive to Davis Drive.

This project is moving full steam ahead with work beginning in 2014, and we want you to talk about it with us at our open houses this week! This is your chance to look at information boards and maps, and talk to vivaNext staff about what you can expect during the construction season ahead. You will also learn how a rapidway works and discuss the benefits it will bring to the community.

The same information will be available at both open houses. We hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it, you can subscribe online to receive construction updates and view all of the materials on our website after the meeting.

You’re invited!
Richmond Hill
When: Tuesday, November 19, 4-8 p.m.
Where: Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church
10066 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Newmarket
When: Wednesday, November 20, 4-8 p.m.
Where: Ray Twinney Recreation Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket

Learn more about the Yonge street rapidways ahead of the open houses by reading our Yonge Street project newsletter, and as always, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have at contactus@vivanext.com.

 

Categories
Announcements Rapidways Stations Urban Planning

the future of transit has arrived!

The launch of the first section of the rapidway along Highway 7 from Bayview Avenue to Highway 404 is this Sunday, August 18.

Riders can now board viva in the centre lane rapidway.  Vivastations are directly accessible from crosswalks at signalled intersections.  Pedestrian signals come with an audible tone and visual countdown.  During the first week of new service the YRT\Viva teams will be on the street to assist customers and answer any questions to help familiarize everyone with the new system.

Not only is this section of Highway 7 now more efficient for pedestrians, cyclists, riders and drivers, but the landscape has been transformed with new trees and other greenery. We welcome the wide pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined boulevards and sleek, modern, vivastations. The new vivastations will be open at Chalmers, Valleymede, West Beaver Creek, Leslie, and East Beaver Creek. Vivastations at Bayview will open in early September. An additional 3.9 kilometres of rapidway along Highway 7 from Highway 404 to Warden Avenue will open in 2014.

New dedicated centre lanes for viva vehicles will allow riders to enjoy faster and more consistent travel times.  Also drivers need to be aware of the changes to the street as they make turns onto Highway 7, red asphalt indicates a bus only lane.  Emergency vehicles are permitted to access the rapidways should they need to, but they will have their flashing lights on for safety.

The stations include arched glass canopies inspired by transportation architecture from historic and modern European examples. The 27-metre glass canopy offers protection from the elements, including a nine-metre enclosed and heated waiting area. The stations include all the existing viva technologies we love, including off-board fare collection, GPS navigation, real-time information, Presto, new card readers and traffic signal priority. Safety and accessibility features include textured surfaces near platform edges, level boarding from the platform to the bus, a public address system for updating riders and an emergency call button.

The York Viva BRT project received $1.4 billion from the province, and is an example of The Big Move in action – Metrolinx’s 25-year plan to implement a common vision for transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The transformation of this urban corridor will help support growth, and reduce congestion to help make York Region a more inviting place to live, work, shop and play.

Come take a ride on the new rapidway and check it out! Tweet and let us know what you think!

 

Categories
Announcements Community Events General Rapidways Uncategorized

follow along this summer as we introduce you to some fun with the blue boots!

Anticipation is building as construction nears completion on the first section of the Highway 7 rapidway, as we get closer to seeing our designated bus lanes for viva fully operational this summer. You may have seen finishing touches applied to the canopies or even caught a glimpse of red asphalt being paved. It’s an exciting time for vivaNext and we want to share that excitement with you. With this in mind, we are pleased to introduce the Blue Boots – vivaNext’s mystery mascot if you will!

For the next six weeks, get onboard the fun bus and follow the Blue Boots Series, a six video summer project brought to you by our communications summer students. Every Wednesday, check our YouTube channel to discover where the boots are going, who they’ll meet and where they’re headed next! Each video will explore unique aspects of the vivaNext project that we hope will get you excited about riding viva.

So be ready to be moved with the Blue Boots today! Watch the first video by clicking this link.

 

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Announcements Uncategorized

Our new website will move you

 

The new and improved vivanext.com interactive website is easier to navigate, better organized by projects, completely mobile compatible and provides continuous updates on construction activities that will help move York Region. This new website is a multi-media experience that is educational and engaging. Come check it out and share videos, photos and information that you find interesting.

Like its previous version, vivanext.com pushes the limits of standard web design with rich functionality and integrated video content. The site provides video animations that bring the future of viva rapid transit to life, as well the latest information on station and canopy design, community events and detailed technical presentations.

vivanext.com offers a search tool and a newsroom with RSS Rich Site Summary, current news releases, articles, construction bulletins and downloadable graphics and photos. Another significant feature of the new site is the street level rider journey that details the benefits of rapidways through the eyes of different residents. Also, integrated in the site are all the usual social media tools – blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube – so you can easily share things with others and start your own conversations.

VivaNext is a forward-looking plan for a fast, convenient rapid transit network. It will provide connectivity between the Region’s centres and corridors.

Enjoy your tour of the new vivanext.com website, travel the rapidway on a rider journey, catch up on the latest blogs, follow us on Twitter or friend us on Facebook and let us know what you think.

Categories
Announcements General

The best travel routes at your fingertips

 

Driving can be unpredictable, no matter where or when you’re going. You never know what you might run into – from construction to volume. Taking viva is a great way around that problem but if you have to take the car then York Region has developed an app for you.

York Region Travel Alert is a real-time, personalized traffic reporting system with street coverage better than any other currently available traffic system for the Regional Municipality of York. With hands-free visual and audio feedback available on your smartphone, advising you of traffic conditions on your route so you’ll always be aware of traffic congestion well in advance.

This unique app guides you to your destination with informative, immediate audio alerts on traffic conditions with affected street segments and speed. It’s like having a personal traffic helicopter watching your route every time you get into your car, monitoring traffic conditions along your saved routes, as well as 5 to 20 kilometres ahead of your current street location.

York Region Travel Alert displays your route on a map in coloured segments, right on your smartphone, representing existing traffic conditions. With this peace of mind you can sit back, relax and enjoy your trip, knowing that the York Region Travel Alert’s hands-free operation will alert you to any unexpected traffic delays, with ample time to detour to an alternate route.

To save you even more time, the York Region Travel Alert also comes with a list of pre-loaded community favourites for popular destinations including Richmond Hill to the Hollidge Tract in the York Regional Forest, Toronto to Canada’s Wonderland, Stouffville to the 404 and Highway 7 Business Area.

The York Region Travel Alert will also remind you to drive safely as you approach community safety zones and school zones.

You can also participate actively in alerting other drivers of traffic problems by pressing a button on your phone which will connect you to our traffic centre where you can provide us with real-time updates on the road conditions. This way, all of our users will not only know the road may be slow ahead, but will also know why.

It’s here! It’s free! Download The York Region Travel Alert app today from www.york.ca or from the iPhone App Store, Blackberry App World or Google Play.

Visit www.york.ca/travelalert for more information.

Categories
Announcements Community Events

Join us and embrace some winter fun!

Newmarket is celebrating all things cold and snowy with their Winterfest festivities on Saturday, February 2, and we’ll be there!

Join us at Fairy Lake Park where we’ll be enjoying the beauty of winter and looking forward to chatting with you about the Davis Drive rapidway. There may be snow and it may be cold, but we’ll create our own warmth with all the activities planned at the Town of Newmarket’s fun-filled event where everyone is welcome. Be sure to stop by and visit us!

Other outdoor fun includes: pony rides, maple syrup on ice, snow disc golf, snow bowling, mini putt, a chainsaw carving demonstration, skating and horse-drawn wagon rides. Indoors there’s a pancake breakfast at 8am, followed by a variety of activities including, balloon twists, face painting, Valentine crafts, an inflatable jumping castle, and a photography contest.

You may also want to drop by the Ray Twinney Complex on Sunday, because Newmarket Winterfest continues, with a free skate and/or swim.

Winterfest admission is free, but a donation of non-perishable food is appreciated. For more details, see the Town of Newmarket’s Winterfest and Winterfest Photography Contest Application.

Newmarket Winterfest 2013 Schedule:

Saturday, February 2
Indoor at the Newmarket Community Centre & Lions Halls
200 Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket
8am to 3pm

Outdoor at Fairy Lake Park
Water Street, Newmarket
10am to 3pm

Categories
Announcements Community Events

Stop by our new project office in Vaughan!

vivaNext rapidway construction is just getting started in Vaughan. The first phase of a Highway 7 West rapidway is moving forward between Edgeley/Interchange Way and Bowes Road, and we want to ensure that you have a place to go to ask questions, look at maps and get all the facts about construction.

We’ve opened a new project information office in Vaughan at 7800 Jane Street [northwest corner of Highway 7 and Jane]. We’re sharing the office with staff from the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension [TYSSE] project, so our new office is the place to go to talk about transit in Vaughan.

vivaNext office hours:

Mondays 9am-12pm
Wednesdays 2pm-6pm
Community Liaison Carrie Slattery: 289.716.0091

TYSSE office hours:

Tuesdays 10:30am-12:30pm
Wednesdays 3-5pm
Thursdays 1-3pm
Construction Liaison Theresa Buck: 416.397.8644

So stop by to say hello to us this week, to get the scoop on construction and enjoy some refreshments.

If you’d like to make an appointment outside of office hours, please Carrie Slattery or Theresa Buck at the numbers above. If you can’t come to the office, there are lots of other ways to find out about the project:

Hope to see you soon!

Categories
Announcements

Future growth is now

Future growth is now

We know that growth is inevitable in York Region, and that our Region’s share of the total growth expected across the GTA will put our population at 1.5 million by 2031. We keep an eye on the numbers, because helping to shape and manage future growth is exactly why we’re building our vivaNext rapid transit projects.

The 2011 Census data is just becoming available, and it gives an interesting snapshot of our Region’s growth, confirming that we’re right to be building a leading-edge bus rapid transit system, right now. Here are some interesting facts about the current population trends in York Region, which show that the predicted future growth is happening now, and is likely to continue.

As of December 31, 2011, our total population was 1,085,600 – making York Region the sixth largest region or city in the country. And York Region continues to attract people from all over, inside Canada as well as abroad. In the last five years, our population has grown by an average of 27,200 each year – that’s like adding the entire population of East Gwillimbury (plus a few thousand extra) each and every year!

It’s not only people moving to York Region – employers are adding jobs, too. Our track record at attracting new jobs continues to be very strong, with the Region’s employment growth having on average, exceeded its population growth over the last 35 years. With 15,000 new jobs added last year – compared to 9,000 in 2009-2010 – our economy is in good shape. Employers want to locate here, and we want to make sure it’s easy for their employees to get to work, whether they live in or out of the Region.

It’s no surprise that people and employers are attracted to York Region. We have a highly educated and trained workforce, an interesting mix of culture and scenery, great work opportunities – and soon, rapid transit!

If you’re new to York Region, or have started to work here, I’d love to hear what attracted you.

 

Categories
Announcements Stations vivaNext.com Ways to win

Warden Station is now open!

Warden Station, your new rapid transit station, is Now Open!

The first built example of a rapid transit system is now open in York Region! We’re proud to announce that Viva vehicles began arriving at Warden Station in Markham on Sunday morning, and we were there Monday to celebrate with the morning commuters as the Viva Pink, Purple, and Green picked up and delivered customers at this new station through the morning rush hour.

Warden Station is at the intersection of Warden Avenue and Enterprise Boulevard, on the first rapidway segment in York Region. We’ll be building rapidways on Davis Drive in Newmarket, Yonge Street in Richmond Hill, and along Highway 7 from Vaughan to Markham, with a total of 71 vivastations similar to Warden Station located about one kilometre apart along each rapidway.

We’re really excited about opening Warden Station, and we want you to help us celebrate by entering our contest for your chance to win a 10-pack of 2-zone, adult Viva tickets!

Click here to enter the online contest.