There’s a lot happening near Highway 7 and Jane Street right now. With the subway extension, bus rapidway, bus terminal, and commercial and residential buildings being built, it’s difficult to distinguish one construction project from the other. In the past week though, one project has become more visible.
In the middle of Highway 7, between Jane Street and the Highway 400 ramps, a huge structure is being built. The VMC-Spadina Subway vivastation will play an important part of this transit-oriented area, connecting Viva customers to the subway below.
The station is supersized with longer and wider platforms, and the roof will cover the entire rapidway. Customers will be able to access the concourse below via elevator or stairs to access the new subway extension or walk a few minutes underground to catch YRT or Züm at a new bus terminal.
A few fun facts about the station:
- Single canopy is 50m long x 22m wide – bigger than the other vivastations to accommodate more bus and passenger traffic.
- Steel structure assembled as three roof sections [now installed]; eight ladder sections [the first just arrived]; and 70 smaller infill sections.
- Uses a combination of aluminum, painted steel, ceramic frit and tinted glass panels – overall, the station will appear light grey with blue and white accents.
- Up-lighting will illuminate the lattice pattern of steel supports and glass panels on the roof.
- Real-time bus arrival screens in station waiting areas, and underground at concourse level.
- Heated and unheated waiting areas on each platform.
- 100% coverage by security cameras.
- Windscreens to block the prevailing wind – potential showcases for public art.
- Hidden rainwater gutters and downspouts to drain water under the roadway.
The steel structure can be seen in the middle of Highway 7, and this will take a couple of months to put into position, and another couple of months of welding. As you’ll soon see, this station will make the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre area look very different. And once it opens in 2018, will connect everyone to where they need to go.