Category: General

Categories
General Rapidways Stations Subways Uncategorized Urban Planning

Exploring Vaughan with vivaNext

With the early stages of rapid transit developments underway along Highway 7 West in Vaughan, now is the perfect time to reflect on everything this great city has to offer. Already an attractive destination for residents, businesses and visitors, Vaughan is a perfect location to integrate Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) rapidways and cultivate a thriving transit system.

Vaughan is comprised of six communities including Maple, Woodbridge, Kleinburg, Concord, Thornhill and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC]. With a growth rate of 80.2%, it was the fastest growing municipality in Canada from 1996-2006, and this diverse city shows no signs of slowing down.  The nation’s largest amusement park, Canada’s Wonderland, averages approximately 3.5 million visitors per season and the Kortright Centre for Conservation hosts around 135,000 visitors annually.

Vaughan is also home to many social, historical and cultural hotspots that maintain its reputation as a vibrant place to live, work, shop and eat. Residents and visitors can browse over 200 retail stores at Vaughan Mills, the 15th largest mall in Canada, or view an extensive collection of paintings by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. Before hopping on a viva bus home, stop by Reptilia Zoo and visit “The King” – the largest venomous Cobra snake at any zoo in Canada, or tour the Thoreau MacDonald House – home of the Group of Seven painter J.E.H MacDonald from 1914 to 1974. Other various parks, theatres, recreation centres and educational institutions leave no shortage of things to do and explore.

The future rapidway vivastation at VMC will make travelling to and from your favourite places in Vaughan easier and more efficient. In the VMC, mixed-use transit-oriented development is proposed along a tree-lined main street, including businesses, residences, entertainment and cultural facilities, as well as pedestrian shopping areas. With connections to both the new TTC subway station and an inter-regional bus terminal, VMC will be one of the most ambitious development projects in the area’s history. It will be a convenient transportation hub unique to the city, and yet another main attraction that Vaughan can call its own.

Check out some more fast facts about Vaughan below:

  • Non-official languages include:
    Italian – 15.2% | Russian – 6.7% | Spanish – 2.7% | Tagalog (Filipino) – 1.9% | Punjabi – 1.8%
  • Twin city: Lanciano, Italy (2002)
  • Folklore associates the name “Maple” with the numerous Maple trees once found along Keele St.
  • The name “Woodbridge” derived from a wooden bridge that crossed the Humber River as an entry point into the town
  • A direct German translation of “Kleinburg” is small town

Follow the progress of the Highway 7 West rapidway in Vaughan by signing up for construction updates.

Think you know Vaughan? Test your knowledge with our interactive quiz! Play now.

Categories
Construction General Rapidways Uncategorized Urban Planning

Your Community Liaisons

You might recognize Nimisha Raja, Carrie Slattery or Michelle Dudzik, our community liaisons from Markham, Newmarket and Vaughan/Richmond Hill respectively, from our website or the construction bulletins you’ve signed up for or you may have met them at a vivaNext event.

But, we also have a new face joining forces with our three existing liaisons –  Tamas Hertel, the Community Liaison Specialist on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill and Newmarket. Over the past four months he has been quite busy.  Tamas has been making contact with businesses and residents along Yonge Street as preparation for future rapidway construction.

They are all readily available to answer any questions or assist you with everything related to the vivaNext project. You name it, whether you’re a property owner, business operator, tenant, special interest group, or any other interested stakeholder in York Region along the viva rapidway corridors, they are happy to hear from you.

All four of our Community Liaisons spend a lot of time out in the community, making presentations and answering questions about construction schedules and the projects in general. And with project information centres open in both Newmarket and Vaughan, you have more opportunity to stop by and meet your Liaison – check for the hours here.

We hope that our website, Facebook page, or construction bulletins continue to help you find answers to your questions. But if you would rather speak to someone, or you’re wondering about your specific property, Nimisha, Michelle, Carrie or Tamas are available and happy to talk to you.

Markham:
Nimisha Raja
Community Liaison Specialist
Telephone: 905-886-6767 Ext. 1023
1-877-464-9675
Cell phone: 416-712-8938
Email: nimisha.raja@york.ca

Newmarket:
Michelle Dudzik
Community Liaison Specialist
Telephone: 905-886-6767 Ext. 1096
1-877-464-9675
Cell phone: 905-716-7663
Email: michelle.dudzik@york.ca

Vaughan:
Carrie Slattery
Tel: 905.886.6767 Ext. 1129
1-877-464-9675
Cell: 289.716.0091
Email: carrie.slattery@york.ca

Yonge Street, Richmond Hill and Newmarket:
Tamas Hertel
Tel: 905.886.6767 Ext. 71357
1-877-464-9675
Cell: 905.505.1430
Email: tamas.hertel@york.ca

Categories
Construction General Rapidways Uncategorized Urban Planning

See the Keith Bridge transformation

If any of you have been out and about along Davis Drive, around the Tannery then you probably noticed construction taking place on the north side of the Keith Bridge.  The old bridge was completely demolished to make way for a new one.  Construction has been done in two phases – the south side first and the north side second.

The demolition of the north side was caught on tape. It has been made into a short time lapse video so that you can watch the whole thing. As you will see in the video, bridge demolition takes careful planning and organization.  Take a look. We may be biased but we think it’s a tad mesmerizing as the cranes do their “dance”.

When complete in 2014, the Keith Bridge will be an architecturally designed, historically-motivated focal point along Davis Drive. It will reflect Newmarket’s rich heritage and growing community, making it an even better place to live, work, shop and play.

Click here to check out the time lapse video.

Categories
Construction General Rapidways Uncategorized Urban Planning

Staying safe during construction

Summer is here and vivaNext construction is in full swing. With multiple projects on the go and lots of different things coming up on a daily basis, one of our top priorities is safety – both for the public and for our workers. Our contractors have very detailed protocols for the steps they need to follow to keep their crews and members of the public safe, and ensuring safety is something we think everyone should take seriously.

Our work has to happen on the edges and in the middle of some very busy roads which is a big challenge. Closing all or part of Highway 7 in Markham or Davis Drive in Newmarket just isn’t an option, so the required strategy is to create as much separation as possible between active construction zones, and drivers and pedestrians. We created this separation by shifting the lanes away from the shoulders of the road, giving our workers more room to work, store materials and use heavy equipment.

To make sure everyone knows where the work zones are, we’ve posted signs and installed fences to clearly show that some areas are off-limits to pedestrians and drivers. We’ve put in place temporary sidewalks and temporary bus stops to ensure pedestrians have a clear path around work zones, and signs to make sure drivers can find temporary entrances to businesses and addresses. Every single crew member working for us is reminded and tested regularly on what they need to be doing to stay safe, and keep you safe too.

Most drivers and pedestrians follow signs and stay away from construction areas, but sometimes pedestrians try to take shortcuts through work zones. It may seem like there’s little risk to doing this, but the reality is that work zones are filled with potential hazards. And for those who aren’t trained or wearing safety gear these hazards may not be either visible or obvious. Unexpectedly entering a construction site can put you and others at risk. Wires just below the surface, sharp objects, uneven ground and other hazards can lead to injuries. And the risk of walking near or around heavy equipment or vehicles, especially when they’re backing up, needs no explanation. Our crews know all the potential hazards, which is why they follow safety procedures and wear protective, highly-visible clothing, headgear and footwear at all times.

Please, when you come across a construction area, respect the need for safety, and do the following:

>> Consider construction sites out of bounds, at all times – even when workers aren’t on site. Fences and no entry signs are there for a reason, even if you can’t see the reason.

>> Follow signs for temporary pathways or detours, even if the original route seems to still be available. We know your time is important and we wouldn’t create a detour if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

As we go about our projects, we know that our construction disrupts the life of pedestrians, transit riders and drivers, and we do everything we can to keep that to a minimum.

We hope that as you pass by our construction areas you’ll keep safety mind!

Categories
General Rapidways Stations Uncategorized Urban Planning vivaNext.com

Glossary of construction terms

Construction can be chaotic for the layperson with its oddly shaped machines digging, drilling and moving around dirt, concrete and other large items. It can be hard to understand what they’re doing exactly, but things can get even more confusing when construction terminology gets thrown around. To help anyone who might be interested we’ve compiled a list of our most often used terms, just for the fun of it –

Abutment A structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching roadway.
   
Archaeological Testing/Assessment The examination of limited areas for the purposes of identifying historical artifacts. We do this work to meet the requirements of the 2007 North Yonge Street Corridor Public Transit Improvements Environmental Assessment, which identifies areas of potential archaeological interest along the Yonge Street corridor, so that we can ensure any important historical artifacts are identified before the roadway is widened for the rapidway.
   
Backfill Material used to replace, or the act of replacing material, removed during construction. Also, may denote material placed, or the act of placing material, adjacent to structures.
   
Bore Holes Drilling into the ground to bring up samples of earth for testing.
   
Boulevard A strip of grass between a sidewalk and a road, located above a curb.
   
Bridge Pier A supporting structure at the junction of connecting spans of a bridge.
   
Caissons A cylindrical concrete foundation that penetrates through soil to rest upon an underlying stratum of rock. Or the structural support for a type of foundation wall.
   
Canopy A curved glass and steel structure over a vivastation platform that shelters passengers.
   
Cast-in-Place A construction of forms filled with concrete at the final location.
   
Catch Basin A receptacle for catching water runoff from a designated area; usually a shallow concrete box with a grating and a discharge pipe leading to a plumbing or stormwater system.
   
Cofferdam A watertight steel enclosure from which water is pumped to expose the bottom of a body of water and permit foundation construction.
   
Corridor Area where vivaNext has construction underway – e.g. Highway 7 East, Highway 7 West, Davis Drive or Yonge Street.
   
Culvert A drain pipe or small bridge for drainage under a road or structure.
   
Cut and Cover A method of tunnel construction that involves digging a trench, building a tunnel, and then covering it with fill.
   
Daylighting The process of exposing buried utility lines to daylight.
   
Directional Drilling Drilling sideways under structures, roadways, streams, etc. to place pipes, utility lines without excavation and generally limited to less than 30cm in diameter.
   
Duct bank Groups of conduits designed to protect and consolidate cabling to and from buildings. Data and electrical cables are laid out within PVC conduits and bundled together; these groupings of conduit are protected by concrete and metal casings. Duct banks are often buried, allowing contractors to consolidate the wiring for a building into centralized underground paths.
   
Easement An interest in land owned by another that entitles its holder to a specific limited use.
   
Environmental Impact The effects a project will have upon the environment, especially the human environment.
   
Environmental Testing Is used to verify if a piece of equipment can withstand the rigors of harsh environments.
   
Excavator Generally tracked vehicle with rotating body and front mounted digging arm.
   
Geotechnical Testing The process of boring, sampling, and testing the soil at various depths to enable the geotechnical engineer to discover and analyze characteristics of the soil.
   
Guy Wires A wire used to secure a tall exterior mast, antenna, or other structure in place.
   
Hoarding A temporary wooden fence around a building or structure under construction or repair.
   
Hydrovac A large truck-mounted vacuum used to bore holes to locate underground utility cables and pipes.
   
Locates Markings that locate underground infrastructure, identified as follows:

  • Red – Electric power lines, cables and conduit systems and lighting cables
  • Yellow – Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, gaseous or dangerous materials
  • Orange – Communications, cable television, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit systems
  • Blue – Water, irrigation and slurry lines
  • Green – Sewer and drain lines
  • White – Route of proposed subsurface line or location of proposed excavation
  • Purple – Reclaimed water
  • Pink (fluorescent) – Temporary construction project site survey markings and survey monuments.

 
Man Hole A hole through which a person may go to gain access to an underground or enclosed structure.
   
Precast (PC) Piles A reinforced concrete pile which is moulded in circular, square, rectangular or octagonal form.
   
Pile Driver A noisy machine that repeatedly drops a heavy weight on top of a post-like foundation until it reaches solid soil, rock or cannot be pushed down any farther.
   
Potholing A small, steep-sided hole usually with underground drainage.
   
Rapidway Dedicated lanes for viva rapid transit down the centre of the road [except on Enterprise Drive, where the lanes are beside the road].
   
Re-bar Ribbed steel bars of various sizes used to give concrete strength in tension.
   
Sheet Piling Planking or sheeting made of concrete, timber, or steel that is driven in, interlocked or tongue and grooved together to provide a tight wall to resist the lateral pressure of water, adjacent earth or other materials.
   
Storm Sewer A sewer used for conveying groundwater, rainwater, surface water, or similar non-polluting wastes.
   
Test Pitting An excavation made to examine an existing foundation, or to determine whether an area is suitable for building construction; includes the taking of soil samples and the determining of the depth of groundwater.
   
Transformer A device that changes, or transforms, alternating current from one voltage to another.
   
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) Area around Highway 7 West in the City of Vaughan designated as a new development area.
   
Vivastation A bus rapid transit station on a vivaNext rapidway. Includes a platform in each direction, like a train station.
   
Water Main Water supply pipe generally located at the street level which may supply a number of buildings.

 

Categories
Construction General Rapidways Stations Uncategorized Urban Planning vivaNext.com

Understanding real-time travel time signs

We’ve all seen them at one time or another, the big orange and black electronic message boards relaying construction information and how long it will take to travel through a construction zone. You may have asked yourself how these signs provide up-to-date travel time and are they accurate? Perhaps you even timed it to test its accuracy.

These signs are Variable Messaging Signs [VMS]. You may have also heard them referred to as construction message boards. You will see them posted at key locations along the vivaNext rapidway corridors currently under construction. The signs operate from a bank of batteries. Energy from the sun, collected by solar panels on the top of the sign, recharges the batteries allowing the construction information and real-time travel information to stay lit.

The real-time travel information works from innovative Bluetooth technology based sensors to calculate travel times through the construction zone. Once a minute, the current average travel time is posted to the VMS. We were the first in North America to track Bluetooth data and convert it into real-time travel time displays to help commuters decide the best way to minimize their travel time through construction.

So how accurate is the real-time travel data on these signs? We keep a close eye on the travel times displayed on the VMS. We continuously monitor and check the accuracy of these signs to ensure the travel times provided are precisely the time it takes to travel through the construction.

The VMS are just one example of the tools and technology we use to keep you informed of rapidway construction. Check out vivanext.com for the latest news and if you haven’t already, sign up for construction updates.

We thank you for your patience during vivaNext rapidway construction. Once the transformation is complete, the rapidways will help connect communities, save people travel time on viva and transform the physical look and feel of the streets to be beautiful refreshed places to visit, shop or work.

 

Categories
Construction General Live-work-play Rapidways Uncategorized Urban Planning vivaNext.com

Finding the balance: maximizing construction while minimizing inconvenience

 

If you’ve ever been involved in a home renovation project then you know it’s far easier to work in a room that is empty or unused, rather than the high traffic rooms, like a kitchen or bathroom. It’s one of the biggest challenges vivaNext faces during the rapidway construction – how to work in a confined, busy space that’s open for business 24/7.

Building a roadway is a process that follows clearly defined steps and uses modern technology, equipment and materials.  In York Region, we are fortunate to have access to some of the best, most experienced construction contractors anywhere, so building the rapidways is – in some ways – a very straightforward project.  Straightforward, that is, until you realize that the rapidways are being built down the middle of some of the Region’s busiest roads.  So during construction, it’s critical to minimize the impact on people using the roadway by keeping travel lanes open during construction whenever possible.  This is where “construction staging” – the process of doing the work in specific phases or steps to manage within the available space and right-of-way [ROW] or easement comes in.

Construction needs to happen in its own separate space; excavators need to swing their buckets, concrete trucks need to make deliveries, and construction trucks need room to back up. For this reason, the first step in rebuilding one of these busy roads is to create some extra room for construction crews to work safely.  The best approach to do this is to take out the median, narrow each of the lanes and shift them over by repainting the lines. This way crews can work in the extra space that’s been freed up, before moving to the next.

Think of our kitchen example – it’s like putting down a new floor – you do one side, and then move your fridge and stove over to the completed side so you can do the other half. Once one section of construction is done, lanes are repainted again to shift them back, and begin work on the other side, working in stages along the entire segment.

To help manage the work areas, the Region also takes temporary and/or permanent easements or ROW’s on properties that are within York Region Rapid Transit’s construction limits. This ensures that when it’s time for a certain stage of construction the area is clear and available, permitting crews access during construction at any time. Easement areas include boulevards, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots fronting the rapidway construction. Rest assured, during construction, the vivaNext teams are committed to minimizing disruption, maintaining driveway access and keeping a sidewalk open at all times.

Sometimes you may even get the feeling that we’ve returned to an area even though it seemed like we were finished. It’s not déjà vu, what you’re actually seeing is our staging technique, where work is done in small, careful steps.

And just as you wouldn’t be able to live without your kitchen while you renovate, we will keep the roads open during construction, relying on staging to minimize the impact of work in order to finish as quickly as possible.  We thank you for your patience and hope you are following along as this amazing transformation unfolds.

Categories
General Urban Planning

The power of development

What’s the significance of a pole? In the past few years some of York Region’s towns and cities have been talking about whether or not to bury hydro lines. We’re designing and building rapidways in key urban areas, so naturally the topic of hydro poles and lines comes up when we bring forward new pedestrian-friendly, attractive streetscapes.

Understandably, most people would like hydro lines to be buried, rather than hung from hydro poles. Burying hydro lines is a major project though, and so deserves careful consideration. The cost of relocating lines underground all at once can be up to 10 times the cost of keeping them above ground. That’s not to say that it isn’t worth the money, but it is a big investment.

We support municipalities in their efforts to bury hydro lines, and we also understand why it can’t always be done all at once. Most urban planners agree that hydro poles can be buried over time as a natural result of development and growth, and this is how it could happen:

  • We build rapid transit in key growth areas, attracting people to the added convenience and pedestrian-friendly environment.
  • Where there are people moving in, there will likely be development.
  • When developers build new buildings, hydro lines are often buried as part of the project, either by their own choice or by local zoning regulations.

Regardless of whether hydro poles are buried or not, we’re designing modern streetscapes along the viva corridors. Where hydro poles are being replaced as part of our rapidway projects, we make poles as attractive as possible using special finishes and features. In some cases we use poles that don’t need guy wires, and higher poles to minimize the appearance of the wires. Wherever possible, we bury telecommunications and fibre lines, reducing the number of wires on new hydro poles.

Urban planning is full of important decisions, and the rapidway designs include innovative ideas, while building great neighbourhoods for future generations.

Categories
Community Events General

Come visit us at the spring home shows!

Despite the last futile attempts of winter to hang on, spring has sprung — buds are popping up on the trees and birds are chirping in celebration — change is everywhere. With spring, thoughts often turn towards home projects or renovations. If you’re dreaming of a fresh look to any part of your home then there’s no better place for you to go than one of your local home shows where anything and everything you’ll need is in one place.

The warmer weather also brings with it a busier construction schedule on the Regions roads. If you’re at the Newmarket Home and Lifestyle Show this weekend, the Aurora Home Show next weekend or the Richmond Hill Home & Garden Show the first weekend in May, stop by and visit. We’ll tell you what’s new on our projects in Markham, Newmarket, Vaughan and Richmond Hill. Like renovating your home, the construction projects vivaNext has underway will bring long-term benefits. Our construction projects are bringing change to York Region in the form of rapidways — dedicated lanes for viva vehicles. Rapidways will make it faster and easier to travel in York Region, and will set the stage for great destinations to live, work, shop and play.

The shows are each host to over 150 vendors. Meet with renovation or home decor expert, take part in a workshop or two or enjoy some lively entertainment.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Newmarket Home and Lifestyle Show:

Friday, April 5, 4pm-9pm
Saturday, April 6, 9am-5pm
Sunday, April 7, 10am-5pm
Magna Centre, 800 Mulock Drive, Newmarket

Aurora Home Show:

Friday, April 12, 4pm-9pm
Saturday, April 13, 9am-6pm
Sunday, April 14, 10am-5pm
Aurora Community Centre, 1 Community Centre Lane, Aurora

Richmond Hill Home and Garden Show

Friday, May 3, 5pm-9pm
Saturday, May 4, 9am-6pm
Sunday, May 5, 10am-5pm
Sports Complex, Richmond Green Park, 1300 Elgin Mills Road East, Richmond Hill

Categories
Community Events General Going Green

Why wait for Earth Hour? We can take steps to protect the planet today!

At 8.30pm on Saturday March 23, 2012 York Region residents will turn out their lights to pay homage to Earth Hour. This symbolic event unites millions of people around the world who are collectively working together to ensure our planet prospers for future generations.

Since Earth Hour was adopted by Canada in 2008, York Region residents have risen to the challenge of powering down for one hour. PowerStream, the local distribution company that services much of York Region reported 7.8% less electricity used in 2012 between 8:30 and 9:30pm, in comparison to a typical consumption pattern normally experienced on a similar type of day.

In reflecting on the true meaning of Earth Hour it raises the question – why wait until March 23 at 8:30pm to make a difference in saving energy or working to reduce climate change? Why not make small changes throughout the year? Small changes like carpooling or taking public transit will help reduce vehicle emissions and pollution. You can hop aboard a viva or YRT bus for the day, we would be happy to see you.

Once vivaNext rapidway construction is complete it will improve travel times and help create great renewed destinations to live, work, shop and play in Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

If we all tried, even for one day, to reduce our environmental footprint it would be a symbolic demonstration of our commitment to reducing climate change.  Don’t forget to power down this Earth Hour, our planet will thank you.

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