Tag: Markham

Categories
General

Construction season is here

Construction season is here – vivaNext newsletter and construction bulletin, tweets and Facebook page

For months now we’ve been talking about the construction you’ll be seeing on Davis Drive in Newmarket, and on Highway 7 East in Markham and Richmond Hill. Now that spring is here, several construction projects are happening on York Region’s roads, including vivaNext rapidway construction.

Construction can include temporary lane closures, occasional bus stop closures or relocations and sidewalk detours. We know how frustrating these disruptions can be for drivers, transit users and pedestrians. That’s why we’re preparing you with information about why construction is happening, and where and when.

Why is construction happening? The practical reason is to build a rapid transit system that’s not delayed by congested traffic. Provincial and Regional planning policies outline the big-picture reasons, including two of our goals: to connect Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area communities, and to set the stage for pedestrian friendly and transit-oriented urban corridors.

We also want you to know where and when construction is happening and this can be a challenge, because as with any construction project, not everything goes according to plan. We receive updates directly from construction site managers, and our team works quickly to pass this information to you. We let you know about new information by putting up electronic signs on-site, sending tweets to those who follow us on Twitter and advising radio traffic reporters. When we know about work more than a day in advance we email construction bulletins to everyone who signed up for updates, and we post bulletins on our website and Facebook page. We also give general updates on our projects in our newsletters, weekly blogs and website content.

If you have a suggestion or a question, you don’t have to wait for our updates to find out the answer. We welcome the questions and suggestions we receive when we host public meetings and attend community events, and our Community Liaisons, Andrea and Nimisha, talk to people every day about our projects. We also respond to comments through this blog, via Twitter or Facebook, and our online contact forms. We want to hear from you!

We can’t prevent the lane closures that are required to complete construction, but we hope that knowing the long-term benefits and being prepared for where and when work is scheduled will be a big step in helping you get around.

Categories
Community Events

Join our public meeting in Markham!

Exciting new changes coming to Highway 7 - Invitation to Public Meeting, Wednesday March 23, 2-8pm at the Delta Markham Hotel, Truffle Ballroom, at 50 East Valhalla Drive, Markham

There are exciting new changes coming to Highway 7 in Markham! We’re preparing to widen Highway 7 East between Bayview and Warden to create dedicated lanes in the centre of the road for rapid transit. We’ve scheduled heavy road construction along Highway 7 East in 2012, but you’ll see our preparation for this work starting in about two weeks. We have utilities to move, temporary traffic lights to install, and centre medians to remove, and we’re doing most of it between now and November.

This project is moving full steam ahead, and we want you to come talk about it with us at our open house this Wednesday. This is your chance to talk to us, look at information boards and maps, and if you’re there at 7 p.m. you can see our presentation. Learn what you can expect during the construction season ahead and about how a rapidway works and the benefits it will bring to our community.

We hope to see you at the meeting, but if you can’t make it, be sure to sign up to receive construction updates, and go to the Past Meetings page on our website after March 23, where you’ll find all the materials from the meeting.

You’re invited
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: Drop in from 2 to 8 p.m. (presentation is at 7 p.m.)
Location: Delta Markham Hotel, Truffle Ballroom
50 East Valhalla Drive, Markham

Categories
Community Events

Spring is in the air and we’re off to the Markham Spring Home Show

vivaNext booth at the Markham Fall Home Show in 2010
The vivaNext booth at the Markham Fall Home Show in 2010

Spring is just around the corner in Markham, and aside from April showers and May flowers, spring brings change. So we’re off to the Markham Spring Home Show this weekend where we’ll tell you all about the construction that’s happening along Highway 7 this year and the changes that construction will bring.

While you’re at the Home Show thinking about changes you can make to your home, think about the changes rapidways will make to Markham, and if you have any questions, drop by our booth to chat. We’ll help you sign up to receive construction updates, and we won’t be able to resist telling you about the first new rapidway segment that recently opened at Enterprise Boulevard and Warden Avenue.

The show is host to over 100 vendors, and on Saturday celebrity speakers will include pastry chef Anna Olson and gardening expert Mark Cullen. In the spirit of renewal we’ll be giving away recyclable tote bags for you to put your brochures and samples in.

We’ll see you there!

Markham Spring Home Show 2011

When: March 18 – 20, 2011
Friday, March 18  (1pm to 9pm)
Saturday, March 19  (10am to 6pm)
Sunday, March 20  (11am  to 5pm)

Where: Markham Fairgrounds
10801 McCowan Road, Markham, ON

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.

Categories
General Rapidways Stations Uncategorized

New vehicle + new rapidway + new station = Training

New Nova bus being used for training at Warden Station in Markham
New Nova bus being used for training at Warden Station in Markham

It wasn’t that long ago that vivaNext was listing required specs for new Viva vehicles and testing design ideas for a rapid transit station. It feels like just yesterday that we were deciding station platform widths, highlighting accessibility requirements both on and off Viva and modelling the streetscape of the rapidways.

Now, some of the new vehicles have already arrived, the first new rapid transit station has been built in York Region and the first stretch of rapidway has been completed.

The new vehicles (made by Nova Bus) have great features – larger windows, a wider centre aisle, great lighting, and an accessibility ramp at the front door instead of at the middle. They’re powered by advanced clean diesel propulsion systems that produce fewer emissions, and we’re proud to say they’re manufactured in Canada. For drivers though, it also has new, unfamiliar on-board systems and controls.

The new vivastation is completely different from a typical transit shelter. It’s a rapid transit station, complete with heated waiting area, messaging boards and safety and accessibility features. It will serve our community for generations to come. However, with the platform being much higher than a street curb, Viva drivers must practise pulling into the station and review procedures related to its operations.

The rapidways allow Viva vehicles to bypass congested traffic as they operate in their own lane. Something drivers are also becoming more familiar with, now that the first stretch of rapidway is completed at Warden Ave. and Enterprise Blvd. in Markham.

Yes, training is a key focal point right now to ensure opening day goes without any unexpected inconvenience to our customers. Driver training on all of these elements has been underway for a while, and the Nova Buses are gradually being introduced into service. In just a matter of days now, we’ll see customers using the new Warden Station, boarding a new Viva vehicle and travelling down the new rapidway.

If you’re in the Warden Avenue and Enterprise Boulevard area, join us on opening day and bring your camera! Stay tuned for the official announcement and we’ll see you on the new platform on opening day with something special.

We love to hear from you, so if you’ve seen a Nova Bus or the new Warden Station, tell us what you think by replying to this blog, or by posting a comment on Facebook or Twitter. If you have a photo of yourself or your friends on the Nova Bus, we’d love to see those too!

Categories
General Urban Planning

Locating utility lines – not always easy

Colour Code for Marking Underground Utility LinesHave you ever seen colourful markings along the side of the road, little coloured flags in a fun mix of colours stuck in the ground, or official-looking painted symbols on pavement, curbs and sidewalks and wondered what they mean?

It turns out that these markers aren’t just decorative – they mean something. In North America there is an established colour code for the markers, so that construction and utility workers everywhere will know where they should, and shouldn’t, dig.

Before the utility markers are put in place, we have to get “as-built drawings” from utility companies or from municipal records. As-built drawings are detailed treasure maps leading to utility lines, and although modern drawings are computer files, pre-1980s versions are hand-drawn. Some utility lines, such as water mains, can last up to 80 years. In most towns, each utility line was installed or replaced as needed over time, with separate record-keeping for each installation. This can make for a wide variety in age and design of drawings.

Once we have the as-built drawings, we mark the locations so that workers with utility location equipment will know where to dig – this is when the coloured flags and paint markings enter the picture. The markers are especially used where the utilities aren’t in a straight line, and may also point out other utility lines near the one we’re searching for.

Now that we have a general idea of where a utility line is located, our workers bring out a hydrovac – a large, truck-mounted vacuum – to liquefy and vacuum bore a hole about a foot in diameter, downward into the soil. If we only want a small hole a few inches in diameter, test-pitting equipment is used instead. Both of these techniques are done carefully, and as we near the utility we dig cautiously by hand.

Relocating utility lines involves investigating a proposed location with digging equipment, and following local government utility planning guidelines. Utility lines are upgraded before being moved to their new location, and new as-built drawings showing the location, depth and width of each utility are created for future reference.

People locate utility lines before they start all kinds of projects – everything from digging a hole for a sprinkler system in your yard to excavating for a big project. Our rapidway projects include widening roads so they definitely classify as big projects, and all of them will include moving some utility lines farther back from the road.

We’re relocating utilities along Highway 7 in Markham right now. If you’re interested in seeing where our projects will be in your neighbourhood, check out our system map, or sign up for construction updates if you’re interested in knowing what’s happening every step of the way.

Categories
Rapidways Urban Planning

Hello Markham…here comes your rapid transit

Rendering of the future Highway 7 rapidway
Rendering of the future Highway 7 rapidway

We’ve all seen examples of where a transportation system has caused a town to grow. Historically, many Ontario towns grew because they became a stop along a railway line. This was true for Markham in the late 1800s, when the Toronto and Nipissing Railway Company began stopping at stations in Markham and Unionville. Another cause for Markham’s growth was the post-Second World War baby boom and migration to the suburbs, and the building of Highway 404 in the mid-1970s. With the influx of high-tech industries, among other changes, Markham has seen an astonishing 25% population increase between 2001 and 2006, ranking Markham as one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada.

Transportation plays a key role in growth and development, and Markham needs a system to help move the current and future population from place to place. VivaNext is building a rapid transit system along Highway 7 to give people a better transit infrastructure that will accommodate the current population and allow for future growth. As well as move people efficiently, rapidways encourage the development of transit-oriented and pedestrian friendly places to live, work and play. As you can see in the photo above, Markham’s rapidways will widen Highway 7 by two lanes and include two centre lanes dedicated to Viva vehicles and flanked by attractive architectural features and landscaped boulevards.

We’ve already started preparing for construction along Highway 7 in Markham by relocating hydro poles and other utilities to allow for road widening. If you’re interested in receiving construction bulletins and invitations to public meetings, be sure to sign up for updates.

When the snow melts you’ll see road construction begin along Highway 7, and we hope you’ll see past the short-term inconveniences and construction to the more welcoming, improved Highway 7 in Markham.

Categories
General Rapidways

A hum of activity

Photo of hydrovac preparing for utility relocation
Hydrovac crew bores a hole in the ground

There has been a hum of activity on Highway 7 lately. To be specific, the hum of a hydrovac – a large truck-mounted vacuum used to bore holes in the ground. We’re widening some of York Region’s roads to add dedicated rapidway lanes, but to do that we need to locate utility cables and pipes in the ground, and then use a variety of trucks and tools to move all of the utilities further back from the roads.

In terms of utilities, all roads are not the same. Which utilities are in place, where they are placed, and who is responsible for them varies for each section of each road. Electrical power lines and telecommunication wires are often located aboveground on poles, but sometimes they’re buried underground. Gas lines, and sewer and water main pipes are also underground, but not necessarily located together.

In many cases, the utilities need to be moved in a certain order to spots designated by York Region’s Transportation Services Department, Corridor Approvals and Records Branch with input from the construction company. This branch ensures utilities are installed in appropriate locations and keeps record of utility locations. Each organization moves their own utilities and, while doing so, uses the opportunity to check over the equipment or upgrade it.

Municipal government is usually responsible for sewer and water main pipes, but a team effort is important in cases where they cross municipal boundaries. For example, the intersection of Highway 7 and Yonge Street includes land within the Town of Markham, the Town of Richmond Hill, and the City of Vaughan. Gas, electricity and telecommunication companies also vary depending on the location. At vivaNext we work with all of these stakeholders to accommodate schedules and procedures, ensuring we reach our goal of relocating utilities in time for the next scheduled construction activity.

Categories
Rapidways Stations

first new vivastation is coming together!

Metal framework being raised into place at one of our new vivastation platforms
Metal framework being raised into place at one of our new vivastation platforms

The first vivastation designed for our new system of rapidways is becoming a reality. The arched metal framework for our new vivastation platforms at the intersection of Warden Avenue and Enterprise Drive has now been raised into place, and glass canopies will be added over the next few weeks.

This vivastation will be put into service next year, replacing the current Viva shelters at this location. Passengers using Warden Station can look forward to a new level of comfort next winter, with an enclosed, heated, and LED-lit section and an arched glass roof to shelter them as they get on and off our vehicles.

The new vivastation is located at the western gateway to Markham Centre, where a vibrant mix of activities will be available on the streets and squares where people live, work, shop and play. The first phases of residential construction are already underway.

I look forward to seeing the new station in service, and if you use this station, I hope you’ll let us know what you think.

Categories
Community Events

Join vivaNext at the Markham Fall Home Show and get the latest construction info

Markham Home Show
A pair of interested visitors stop by the vivaNext booth at the Markham Spring Home Show earlier this year.

The crisp weather and falling leaves may bring thoughts of cozy evenings and harvest bounty to your mind, but at vivaNext HQ, all we can think about is construction! While you’re at the Markham Fall Home Show looking at ways to make your home snug for the new season, drop by the vivaNext booth to hear about the construction we’re gearing up for. We especially want to tell you about the progress we’re making with the Markham rapidways at Enterprise Drive and along Highway 7. Our team is looking forward to answering your questions about this multi-year construction project, and they can also help you sign up to receive construction bulletins.

Over a hundred vendors will be at the show and you’ll be able to sample their new products and compare services. Gardening experts Mark Cullen and Frank Ferragine will also be there as celebrity speakers. This is Canada’s first zero-waste home show, and to pitch in with that theme we’ll be giving away recyclable tote bags to help you carry all your free samples.

We hope to see you there – don’t ‘leaf’ us hanging!

Markham Fall Homeshow 2010

When: October 15 – 17, 2010
Friday, October 15  (1pm to 9pm)
Saturday, October 16  (10am to 6pm)
Sunday, October 17  (11am  to 5pm)

Where: Markham Fairgrounds
10801 McCowan Road, Markham, ON