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meet the NEW multi-use path on Highway 7 West

If you’re walking, strolling, jogging or cycling Highway 7 West in Woodbridge, there is a new multi-use path in the centre of the road to get you across the bridge over Highway 400. Watch our new video for a bird’s-eye view and a peek at what it’s like when you’re in it.

This protected path for pedestrians and cyclists has signalized intersections at each end to enable safe crossings back to the sides of Highway 7.

Separated from traffic and transit vehicles by concrete barrier walls on either side, the multi-use path is wide enough for two-way travel. By bringing travellers away from the outside of the bridge, as well as the busy ramps of Highway 400, the new multi-use path improves regular traffic flow, and crucially for pedestrians and cyclists offers an effective, convenient solution as people make connections to and from the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and throughout Vaughan and York Region.

While centre-road travel for cyclists and pedestrians is a new concept here in York Region, they’ve been built in the U.S. and were originally inspired by the Sands Street Bikeway in Brooklyn, NY.

Integrated with the City of Vaughan’s bike lane program and York Region’s network of bike lanes, the multi-use path connects with raised bike lanes and wider pedestrian sidewalks west of Highway 400, from Famous Avenue to Bruce Street [raised bike lanes opening in 2020], and with bike lanes already constructed on Highway 7 from Edgeley Boulevard/Interchange Way to Bowes Road/ Baldwin Avenue, as well as up Millway Avenue to the subway and the newly opened SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

For information about ongoing vivaNext projects, be sure to subscribe to email updates, and follow us on Twitter. Questions or comments? Comment below or email us at contactus@vivanext.com.

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Announcements Live-work-play Rapidways Subways

And the new name is…

An artist rendering of what an intersection at the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre may look like in the future. It is complete with subway and rapidway stops, high rise condos, offices, shops and restaurants.
An artist rendering of what an intersection at the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre may look like in the future. It is complete with subway and rapidway stops, high-rise condos, offices, shops and restaurants.

The City of Vaughan’s downtown core will undergo a transformation over the next several years. Encompassing 125-acres, development plans include office and residential towers, shopping and entertainment complexes, plenty of green spaces and pedestrian walkways, and, of course, vivaNext rapid transit connections.

In recognition of all the exciting changes to come, Vaughan City Council determined that a change of name – from Vaughan Corporate Centre – was in order to better reflect the true vision and future of this key hub.

This summer, the City held a contest where people were encouraged to submit their suggestions. Almost 1,600 entries were received, including Central Vaughan, Vaughan Gateway, Vaughan Mosaic Centre and Vaughan Nexus.

In the end, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre was chosen as the winning entry by the City subcommittee that reviewed all the submissions, which consisted of business stakeholders and citizens.

“People wanted something that’s easy enough to remember and still reflected what we want to see from the downtown,” said Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco, who chaired the City subcommittee.

To view a video of the future transformation of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, please click here or visit vivaNext.com.