gas main – vivaNext

Before we can build dedicated rapid transit lanes, wider sidewalks, and plant beautiful greenery above ground, we need to go underground – to the world of utilities.

Our latest video peels back the layers to reveal all the modern conveniences we all depend on and often take for granted. We’ll shed some light on the steps we take to relocate critical infrastructure and explain why you see different crews come back to the same location as work progresses.

The most common things you’ll find are storm and sanitary sewers and pipes, water mains, gas mains, electrical wires, television/internet cables and phone lines.

We also take a look at the latest technology under the median and sidewalk planters , allowing trees and other plants to have deep, healthy root systems, and providing natural storm water management.

We’re just scratching the surface, but you’ll get a glimpse of how we replace and update infrastructure as an important investment that improves everyone’s quality of life.

In many areas of the vivaNext projects, construction work is definitely visible – especially on Davis Drive and along Highway 7 West. In others areas – such as Yonge Street – it’s not quite so obvious. But work on Yonge Street has been going on this year for months, and it’s also starting up in phase 2 of the Highway 7 West rapidway.

Here’s some of what we’ve been up to – a very important part of construction – utilities!

there’s a lot going on underground

Upgrading the utilities to prepare for the growing population of York Region is a must. Plus, in order to upgrade utilities and widen the road for the rapidway, the existing utilities below the roadside have to be moved.

That’s because locating, upgrading and relocating utilities involves more than just building a road. And each utility has its own requirements.

utilities keep everything working

Utility work along the rapidway includes locating, removing and upgrading water mains and storm sewers, removing old copper cable and installing fiber optic cable for telecommunications, electricity, shutting down old gas mains and installing new ones, and it also includes upgrades and reconstruction to bridges and culverts and moving and upgrading traffic signals and street lights.

but first…

The first thing that happens along any new rapidway project is “utility investigations,” which means identifying where existing utilities are, to confirm what has to be moved. We can’t upgrade them until we find them, and some utilities can be as old as the road – installed before towns began documenting utility locations. So if you see crews digging small test pits along Yonge, you’ll know that’s a utility investigation where crews are making sure the utilities are where we think they are, and checking out what condition they’re in.

Next time you’re playing the game of Monopoly and you land on “Utilities,” feel lucky. “Utilities” are what keeps everything working at “Boardwalk,” “Park Place” and VivaNext!

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