Tag: Construction

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Construction General Rapidways

as the cold wind blows…

Seems like just yesterday vivaNext was ramping up construction activities at the first sign of warmer temperatures and while the warmer weather was here this year, a lot of progress was made along the vivaNext corridors. We captured our developments and put together a short video to share the progress of the transformation for each corridor.

Building on our successes, we will keep the progress moving even as we wind down for the return of Old Man Winter. Although the weather specialists forecast a cold winter season, our vivaNext construction projects will continue as the snow flies and the cold wind blows.  Here’s a snapshot of what we’re going to be working on this winter along the vivaNext corridors and how we’ll manage to keep construction moving along even when the temperatures plunge.

In Newmarket, crews will continue storm sewer installation, utility relocations and underground ductbank [gathers together and encases telecommunication wires] installation along Davis Drive. The south side of western creek culvert near Niagara Street will be also be widened over the next several months.

In Markham, utility relocations will continue on South Town Centre Boulevard, Cedarland Drive and Warden Avenue. Some construction work will also continue on Highway 7 East in the centre median.

Along the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] corridor, hydro, gas and telecommunications installations and relocations will continue. Work will also begin on the CN Bridge. Preliminary construction activity also continues in Vaughan along Highway 7 West from Helen Street to Edgeley Boulevard and from east of Bowes Road to Yonge Street, including parts of Bathurst Street and Centre Street.

On Yonge Street, surveying, geotechnical testing and utility locates will take place in Richmond Hill and Newmarket. In early 2014, the design-build contract of the Yonge Street rapidway will be awarded. Once the contract is awarded, rapidway construction will begin.

While construction continues outside, inside our contractors are preparing for a busy spring. They are finalizing designs, plans and schedules for next year so when the warm weather returns construction crews can hit the ground running.

To see the progress we’re making over the winter, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. You can also sign up for email notices at vivanext.com to keep you updated on the construction underway in your area.

Categories
Construction General Live-work-play

ol’ man winter is here… are you ready?

Yes, it’s that time of year again, winter arrives officially this weekend.  The weather reports are full of white stuff, and the frosty temperatures are here.  Now is the time to ensure you are extra vigilant and aware of your surroundings at intersections, crosswalks and in construction areas as you travel the roads in York Region.

Snow and ice wreak havoc on the traveling public, but disasters are largely preventable.  If poor weather is forecast, plan ahead and leave plenty of time to get to your destination.  Better yet, postpone unnecessary trips until the weather has improved. As always we encourage you to try transit in bad weather days, but if you are driving, keep your vehicle tuned up and be especially aware of your tire condition.  Snow tires are the best bet in the winter months, but regardless of tire type, be sure to check pressures and tread wear regularly.

The bottom line is that winter is a Canadian fact and we can’t change the weather.  All we can do is prepare for it and understand the inherent hazards.

Here are some safety tips to help navigate construction zones in the winter safely:

  • Obey the speed limit – You should be careful to obey the speed limit in construction zones, as many will be lower than normal.
  • Keep on the lookout for construction workers – One of the main reasons that construction zones can be so dangerous is that there are often people working on the side of the road. You will want to be very careful when you drive and try to be aware of any workers.
  • Watch for lane changes – Often in construction zones, the lanes move differently than normal. Especially at night, in bad weather, or when it is difficult to see, pay attention to where your lane goes.
  • Be especially careful if there is no shoulder – A lot of times, construction forces the closure of the shoulder.

Remember to always be aware of road conditions and those who are working in these zones. As you pass through the vivaNext 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 in mind!  Travel safe!

Categories
Construction General Uncategorized

getting ready for winter

If you have a property with a garden, you’ll be familiar with the list of things you do every year to get things tidy and safe before it freezes up out there. We face the same kind of to-do list along our construction zones on Highway 7 and Davis Drive, although the key difference is we’ll still be actively working throughout the winter (I’ll tell you more about what we’ve got planned for the winter months in an upcoming post).

But in terms of getting things all tidied up, here’s what you’ll see us doing over the next couple of weeks to get ready for the snow and ice.

Our top priority, as always, is making the construction zones as safe as possible for pedestrians and drivers.  For that reason much of our pre-winter activity involves ensuring that sidewalks and boulevards are free of hazards, and hazards that cannot be removed are carefully fenced off.  In some cases we’re finishing the grading and construction of some boulevards, and in others installing temporary walkways and ramps where work isn’t scheduled to be finished until next year.

Snow fences are being installed behind sidewalks in areas where work is continuing, to help mark the safe route for pedestrians.  And because of ongoing roadwork and other activities, some sidewalks will remain closed.  We’ll make sure there’s a clear route for pedestrians through work zones, although it may require crossing from one side of the street to the other. Look for directional signage to know where it’s safe to walk, and how to access bus stops – for your own safety it’s critical that pedestrians stay out of work zones.

During construction, road and sidewalk maintenance is the responsibility of the construction contractor within the project areas.  But during the winter, the Region and local municipalities are responsible for ensuring the roads and sidewalks are kept clear. For that reason, another top priority before winter is to ensure every aspect of the construction zones is compatible with the requirements for winter maintenance operations.

This means making sure the snow-clearing equipment can manoeuver through the construction zones, boulevards and platforms.  Our design work and construction staging plans have always had those requirements top of mind, but we walk through the sites with Regional and municipal staff again before winter to identify any little details that might impede their operations.

And to keep traffic moving throughout the winter, we’ll be taking steps to make travel lanes as straight as possible through the construction zones, and ensure markings are clear.

Just like at your home, we like to get everything tidied up and in order before winter, so we’re going to keep working steadily at it until we’re forced to stop by severe winter weather.  Once that happens, we have a long list of other activities we will continue with, so stay tuned.

 

Categories
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
Construction General

clearing the way for construction

If you’ve ever watched a new subdivision get built, you know how fast the work seems to advance.  Crews install utilities, build rough roads, and before you know it there’s an entire subdivision ready for families.  But building a new roadway in a densely built-up area is a completely different challenge: the work seems to go on for a long time, and progress is hard to detect unless you know what you’re looking for.

We’ve been working flat-out on Davis Drive for a year now, with dozens of complex activities underway or completed from Yonge to Leslie.  Even so, most of our effort so far has been about clearing the way, rather than constructing a rapidway and stations.

That’s the predictable reality of modernizing our roads and revitalizing Newmarket’s infrastructure, but it’s worth explaining why we can’t get going on roadway construction until these steps are completed.

A key work priority has been to build retaining walls to enable the road widening along the hilly contours of Davis Drive,  with that work now nearing completion.

And like all major thoroughfares, the foundations of the existing Davis Drive roadway are literally lined along both sides with existing critical infrastructure carrying water, telecommunications, gas, storm sewers and sanitary sewers.  Much of this infrastructure crosses the road at intervals and in many cases the various utilities are stacked up in multiple layers.  In addition, at the sides of the road are hydro poles and lines, transformers for electricity and telecommunications, fire hydrants, and a whole range of privately owned signs for businesses and commercial buildings.

As much as we love getting to the stage of putting down asphalt and constructing the beautiful viva stations, we can’t start this until the right-of-way is completely clear. Once we’ve built the retaining walls, we need to relocate everything else, one element at a time, further back and out of the way of the new wider roadway.  Relocating utilities is a complex task in itself, requiring a highly detailed level of coordination between gas, hydro, telecommunications and other utility companies.

Each type of utility has its own specific requirements about how and where it can be relocated, and which one goes deepest, which has to be installed last, and so on.  Each element requires its own program of design work and approvals.  And lastly, different crews are responsible for specific utility relocations, and there are rules about how closely they can work relative to adjacent work crews.

So the job of getting the roadway clear for construction is a huge, time-consuming and enormously detailed process – without even considering the new bridge and retaining walls that are underway. With multiple activities to be carried out in each block, some people may wonder why we’re not progressing more quickly.  But the reality is that we’ve already completed much of the work needed to clear the roadway, and widening has already started in some segments.  Because so much of the work is underground, there isn’t much to see yet.  But as crews start paving, it will feel and look like progress is starting to take shape.

Even though building a rapidway is a long process, people along Highway 7 in Richmond Hill and Markham can attest that the transformation does come to fruition. Residents and visitors alike are now enjoying the Highway 7 rapidway. We look forward to the day the Davis Drive rapidway is complete and Newmarket can enjoy the finished result too.

Categories
Construction General Live-work-play Rapidways

bringing vaughan metropolitan centre to life

We recently posted a great blog on planning that talked about the link between transit and new urban communities. Given that tomorrow (November 8), urban planners from towns and cities in over 30 countries worldwide will celebrate World Town Planning Day, we thought we would take a moment to highlight another one of York Region’s amazing communities, and see how vivaNext transit projects fit into York Region’s planning vision.

In the Region’s Centres and Corridors strategy, selected areas in Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan are targeted to have new, urban “downtowns.” They will be vibrant, higher density, attractive destinations with a full range of amenities so that people can live, work, shop and play in the same community. These “centres” will be connected by transportation “corridors” that will make it easier for people to get around the region. That’s where we come in. Our vivaNext rapidways will run along the corridors, connecting the centres through transit and safe and efficient travel options for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists alike.

You can see the vision for one of these centres coming to life in the City of Vaughan’s new video about the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] . Located in the heart of Vaughan, centered on Highway 7, between Highway 400 and Creditstone Road, VMC will be one of the largest and most ambitious development projects in the area’s history, and is a superb location for Vaughan’s new downtown.

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. The VMC area will act as a transportation hub, including convenient passenger pick-up and drop-off, a York Region Transit bus terminal, and viva rapidways running in dedicated lanes along Highway 7.

VMC will also be home to the northernmost subway station, as part of the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension [TYSSE], an 8.6 km subway extension from Downsview Station, northwest through York University and north to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. An entrance to VMC Station will be built on Millway Avenue, between Edgeley Boulevard and Jane Street to provide easy and efficient connections to other transit services.

With approximately 442 acres of development opportunities, VMC also includes:

  • Projected office development: 1.5 million SF
  • Projected retail development: 750,000 SF
  • Minimum of 12,000 residential units
  • Population potential: 25,000 new residents
  • Employment potential: 11,000 jobs of which 5,000 will be office jobs

It’s exciting to visualize how Vaughan will evolve in the years to come. To find out more about other vivaNext projects, visit our projects page.

 

Categories
General

why do we need retaining walls?

As you know, crews have been working hard on Davis Drive in Newmarket doing preliminary preparations and constructing a number of retaining walls.  With 16 already done and 1 remaining retaining wall construction is almost completed. Here’s why we need to build all these retaining walls.

If you’re at all familiar with Davis Drive in Newmarket, you’ll know how hilly the surrounding area is –the road itself is a series of hills, and many of the properties on both sides are either above or below the level of the road.

In general, retaining walls are used when one stretch of ground is at a different height than a neighbouring stretch of ground, and the slope between them is too steep to be stable on its own.  A retaining wall is used to hold the slope in place, and support the higher level of ground. Grade differences can be managed without retaining walls when the difference is slight, or where there’s enough space to make the slope very gradual. But because we’re widening Davis Drive, we’re reducing the space left over at the sides of the road, resulting in more pronounced grade differences between the road and some of the neighbouring properties and that’s why more retaining walls are needed.

The new walls will be built at the back of the boulevard where it meets private property, and where the grade at the back of the boulevard is different from the neighbouring grade.  Where the neighbouring property is higher, the retaining wall will extend upwards from the boulevard; where the neighbouring property is lower, the wall will extend down from the boulevard to the property behind.

The safety and design criteria for these walls are specific about what type of wall material is used for certain heights.  For walls that are less than 1.2 metres high, we are using pre-cast blocks that lock together like building blocks, set on a gravel base.  For taller walls, we’ll be using concrete that is poured in place, using special forms that mold the concrete and provide an architectural design.  To ensure safety, we’ll be adding an attractive aluminum handrail on the top of the retaining walls where it’s required.

These retaining walls will add to the more urbanized, stylish appearance of the future Davis Drive, and will help set the stage for the transformation that’s coming to this part of Newmarket.

Categories
Construction General

working together….

If you get vivaNext email updates, you probably recently read that Yorkie and Torkie the tunnel boring machines are munching their way closer and closer to Highway 7 and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC).

This is great news, and means that the reality of a subway coming to York Region is getting closer every day.  But while the tunneling project is very high profile, vivaNext is also working hard to get ready for the subway opening at our VMC station.   Unlike other vivastations which we are building independently, the VMC station construction needs to be closely coordinated with the subway project, adding a whole new level of complexity.  Here’s a little background:

The VMC station will be located at Millway Avenue and Highway 7, as part of the VMC development area.  To provide passengers with seamless connections between the subway and the viva\YRT system, the subway station will be located on the lower level, with a concourse linking the subway to the vivastation above.

That may all sound relatively straightforward, but in fact there are significant engineering challenges involved with constructing a complicated building in the middle of a live highway, especially  when there’s a separate construction project going on directly underneath.  One of our top priorities is to ensure while we’re building the station to our own design plans, it also ties in to all the complex TTC systems down below so that everything works properly and in sync.

Some key elements such as escalators, elevators and stairways link the two structures. These need to be in place so the TTC can access the upstairs while they’re building their subway station down below. Escalators and elevator shafts aren’t very forgiving, so we need to work closely together to make sure all the elements line up perfectly.

Another challenge is that there’s not a lot of space to work given the location of the station in the middle of Highway 7.  From time to time we’re literally going to be working right on top of each other.  So we will be doing a lot of coordinating throughout the process to make sure all our contractors and subcontractors have enough room to do their jobs safely and in parallel.

The main priority for vivaNext and the TTC is that both parts of the VMC station are open when the subway service begins.  There’s a huge amount of work to be done between now and then, and we’ll be working closely with our TTC partners during the course of construction.

So stay tuned, and soon I’ll be giving you a proper tour of the VMC station design.  It’s going to be a showpiece that will be worth all the hard work.

 

Categories
Construction General Urban Planning

what is a culvert anyway?

 

I’m guessing that you probably weren’t thinking about culverts as you sipped your coffee on your commute through the construction this morning — probably not even if you passed right by one. But let me just take a moment to tell you why culverts are important – besides the obvious.

First of all, what is a culvert anyway? Well, I’m sure you’ve seen one by the side of the road, underneath a driveway, around creeks and rivers. A culvert is a tunnel or pipe of varying size, shape and material used to allow water  to move easily from one side of an obstruction (like a road or railway) to the other side.

A culvert has three main functions: to allow for stream crossing; to manage and direct water runoff; and to allow natural wildlife crossing. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but where it gets interesting is the wildlife crossing.

Since culverts affect both animals and the environment, the Ministries of the Environment, Natural Resources and Transportation have set out specific standards for culverts. Those standards note that they must be constructed in such a way to allow any wildlife travelling through them to see light at the other side. And culverts must include material that mimic the natural landscape of the wildlife passing through it to encourage them to use the culvert for migration.

The typical lifespan of a culvert is somewhere between 10-20 years, depending on a number of factors. When water flows through a culvert frequently, as it does at eastern and western creeks in Newmarket, the culvert will naturally succumb to some erosion. With our plans to widen Davis Drive for the rapidway, we are extending the western creek culvert and removing and replacing the eastern creek culvert that was well beyond its lifespan.

It’s just one more component of an overall transformation towards vibrant urban centres, connected by a rapid transit network to help people get around.

 

Categories
Construction Live-work-play Rapidways

vivaNext – more to come

When it comes to the future of transit in York Region, you don’t have to look far. The first rapidway along Highway 7 east corridor is now up and running smoothly. With it came wide pedestrian-friendly boulevards, lined with trees and other greenery. The transformation taking place along the Viva routes will change how pedestrians, cyclists and motorists not only view the area in general, but get from A to B more easily, more safely and more efficiently.  Check out this 3600 virtual tour for a peak.

This is just the beginning of many miles of rapidway that are under construction or coming soon.  Here is an update of what’s happening.

Construction on Highway 7 East continues and crews are working hard from Highway 404 to Warden Avenue to widen the road, build pedestrian boulevards, plant trees and shrubs as well as installing utilities. This next segment of rapidway is expected to be completed in 2014.

Moving along Highway 7 west to Vaughan, you will see the vivaNext rapidway construction starting to take shape between Edgeley Boulevard and Bowes Road.  Over the last few months, crews have been working to remove signs, test soil and begin utility relocation to prepare for heavier construction.  Throughout the fall and winter, hydro, gas and telecommunications installations and relocations will continue in Vaughan.

Preliminary construction activity will also continue in other parts of Vaughan as vivaNext rapidway construction continues along Highway 7 West.   The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] station will be completed in time with the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension [TYSSE].  Vaughan’s VMC station will be the northernmost subway station, connecting to Viva and a variety of other transit services, for a convenient and seamless experience.

In Newmarket, as you drive or walk along Davis Drive, you’ll see that construction is in full swing and the transformation is starting to take shape. The relocation and replacement of underground infrastructure in some segments on the south side of Davis Drive is complete. In those sections, road widening and preliminary paving has started preparing the roadway for future rapidways.

Also in Newmarket, crews are working to re-locate the Historic Union Hotel and its adjoining building to their final foundations this fall. Extensive culvert work at eastern and western creek is underway.  Work continues on the north side of the Keith Bridge.  Once completed all this work will help make your travel along Davis Drive smoother and more efficient, especially if you are on transit!

Over the next few years, future rapidways will be added to the Viva routes to better service customers and make travel times shorter by up to 25%.  We know construction is messy, but the end results are marvelous!