Tag: Richmond Hill

Categories
Construction Stations

Lighting up the neighbourhood

It’s the dark days of winter, and our crews are truly lighting up Highway 7 in Richmond Hill. They’re trying out the lighting installed at our new vivastations between Bayview and Highway 404, and it’s an exciting sign that rapidways are well and truly on the way to Highway 7.

Energy-efficient throughout and functional in all weather, these lighting systems are designed to make it easy to identify each station, and are an important safety feature for passengers waiting. Lighting also helps drivers to clearly see the rapidway in the middle of the road.

It’s not all about the bright lights though. Vivastations are being built with reflective, tinted glass curved panels that arch overhead to keep snow and rain off. A glass-enclosed area in the middle of each station has motion-activated heaters, and the raised platform eliminates the need to climb or lift objects up onto a viva vehicle. Technology includes security surveillance and intercom on the platform, and arrival/departure screens with real-time scheduling information.

We already have the first example of a vivastation built in Markham, south of Highway 7 on Warden, so the best way to experience a vivastation is to hop on and off at one. Vivastations will follow a consistent design, but station platforms will be located on different sides of the intersection in some cases. At Bayview Avenue, the vivastation platforms will be curbside, with unique towers alongside that have stairs and elevators leading to Bayview Avenue.

As the days get longer with more sunshine in spring and summer, we’ll start to see the gleaming glass of vivastations along Highway 7. By next winter, vivastation lights will be on, and Highway 7 will be a brighter place for everyone.

 

Categories
Construction vivaNext.com

Looking back on 2012…and forward to 2013

Wow – what progress has been made in the past year on our rapidway projects! Just a few years ago we were in the planning and pre-construction stages for each of our projects. It’s remarkable to see the plans taking shape, construction underway and truly visible changes happening.

On Highway 7 East between Bayview and Highway 404, much of the heavy road work and vivastation construction was completed in 2012. We have some paving to do in the spring, along with finishing work on sidewalks and stations. This stretch of Highway 7 shows the layout of dedicated transit lanes and vivastations and how it will all work. Once the finishing work and landscaping is done, we’ll really be able to see the transformation of Highway 7. East of Highway 404 to Warden, the last few months have seen huge changes, including road widening and prep work for the centre-lane vivastations leading to Warden Station – our fully built vivastation that’s been in service since 2011. In 2013, we’re planning to have the finishing work complete so we can put the rapidway to use between Bayview and Highway 404. East of Highway 404, vivastations will be popping up all year, with finishing work underway in 2014.

Davis Drive in Newmarket is starting to show big changes. Utility work continues, hydro poles were moved and replaced earlier this year, and culvert work is underway to the east of the hospital. Near The Tannery, traffic is now driving on the new south side of the Keith Bridge, and pedestrians can run their hands along the new bridge railing – a nod to the history of this area. In 2013, construction will continue, as crews build a new north side of the Keith Bridge, and begin to widen Davis Drive.

In 2012, the design/build contract was awarded for rapidway construction on Highway 7 West in Vaughan, from Edgeley Boulevard to Bowes Road. We’ve already started surveying and testing this section of Highway 7, and in 2013, crews will be relocating utilities and preparing for road widening.

A rapidway is on the way for Yonge Street in Richmond Hill [Highway 7 to 19th/Gamble] and Newmarket [Mulock to Davis] too, and we’ll be awarding the contract for that work in 2013. Then we’ll be surveying and testing these sections of Yonge Street, as we plan and schedule the construction work ahead.

We know it’s important to be able to get where you need to go, and that’s why we keep lanes open as much as possible during peak traffic hours. Occasionally, we need to temporarily detour entrances and sidewalks and relocate transit stops, and in these cases we do everything we can to make sure everyone knows.

We look forward to great transformations on York Region’s key roads in 2013. We hope that your holiday season is merry, and that 2013 brings great things to you and yours.

Click here to see our holiday card!

 

Categories
Community Events

Bring on the jolly season!

It’s the time of year when everyone’s thoughts turn to the joy of the season and nothing kicks off the holiday season better than a parade.

Over the next few weeks you’ll have plenty of opportunity to attend one of York Region’s many Santa Claus parades, and if you do, watch out for vivaNext and YRT\Viva, as we spread winter cheer.

YRT\Viva work together to seamlessly connect, not only all the municipalities in York Region, but also to provide easy access to other transit systems operating in neighbouring regions — including Toronto, Durham and Peel.

VivaNext, York Region’s plan for the next generation of viva rapid transit service, will truly put the rapid into transit and make it even faster and easier for you to travel around and outside of York Region.

Whichever Santa Claus parade you go to, look for YRT\Viva and vivaNext staff wishing you happy holidays while proudly walking and waving alongside a beautifully decorated viva bus — it’ll be hard to miss!

Categories
General

Growing up: students and rapid transit

growing up: students and rapid transit

It’s that time of year again – students are back to school next week and parents can’t believe how much their kids have grown. It probably seems like just yesterday that they were taking their first steps. If you’re an older student, maybe you’re taking a big step yourself – starting high school or college.

We understand the feeling, because it wasn’t long ago that we were planning the vivaNext rapidways, and now they’re starting to take shape. Highway 7, between Bayview and Warden, is the ‘eager beaver’ of the class. Since 2010 on Highway 7, construction crews have removed medians, relocated utilities and widened the road to allow for dedicated transit lanes. New vivastations are well underway, with nine in various stages of completion and 13 more to come in the next 18 months. Once construction is complete, the rapidway lanes and stations will be tested, drivers will be trained, and the centre lanes of Highway 7 will become a full-fledged segment of rapidway.

This September, students will get to school by bus, car, bike and on foot. Many students ride transit to and from school, and soon, Unionville High School and Seneca’s Markham Campus will have a Highway 7 rapidway outside their doors. In Newmarket, the Davis Drive rapidway will bring rapid transit to the students of Huron Heights Secondary School, and future rapidways along Yonge Street will pass near Sir William Mulock, Richmond Hill, and Langstaff secondary schools. Langstaff and Thornhill secondary schools will each be within walking distance of the planned extension to Yonge Subway, and thanks to the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension, students of Seneca, York and Schulich will be able to take the subway to York University’s Keele Campus in 2016.

York Region’s transit network is designed to help shape how and where our population grows, helping to transform our towns and cities into attractive, accessible urban areas. This includes new residents to our region, and also long-time residents like students, moving from one stage of life to another. This year’s batch of college freshmen will have rapid transit waiting to take them to their first jobs when they graduate. Grade 9 students will be able to head to college via subway, and kindergarten students will have a world of choices. It’ll all happen before we know it…[poll id=”33″]

Categories
Fun & Games

It’s a vivaSummer!

vivaSummer

We all have our favourite places, and summer is the perfect time to explore them with friends and family while enjoying fantastic weather. Once vivaNext projects are complete we’ll have more green space, and plenty of new ‘favourite places’ for you to choose from.

YRT\Viva offers a great Trip Planner at http://tripplanner.yrt.ca that can help you plan your routes from point A to B, wherever you may be heading this summer. Comfortable, air-conditioned viva vehicles can be a great alternative to driving in summer heat, and with 119 vivastations, they’re sure to take you where you need to go.

York Region has lots of green spaces and local parks where you can spend summer outdoors experiencing nature and warm weather. Here are a few natural and green places not to be missed in Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Aurora and Vaughan:

In Markham, spend a day by the water at Toogood Pond. With picnic sites and paths to stroll, this is an ideal site to spend a summer weekend afternoon. If you’re looking to bike or walk a scenic route, head up to Newmarket and take the Tom Taylor Trail. The Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park in Richmond Hill offers the best of both worlds – outdoor soccer fields to stay active and picnic areas to sit and relax. In Aurora, be sure to visit Lambert Willson Park, which has access to beach volleyball, the Aurora Family Leisure Complex and multiple nature trails. Finally, if you’re in Vaughan, the Boyd Conservation Area along the Humber River Valley offers wonderful activities and and is a popular GTA picnic destination.

No matter where your ‘favourite place’ may be, we hope you’ll take transit to get there, and we hope you have a happy summer.  Be sure to drink lots of water and stay sun-safe on those extra hot days. And have fun!

[poll id=”32″]

Categories
General Live-work-play

The vivaNext generation

Construction on vivaNext projects is moving full speed ahead. As structures are built and roads are widened, visions of the future are becoming a reality. The promise of the next generation of York Region’s rapid transit is coming to life.

Here at the vivaNext office, we have also welcomed a next generation, with two new summer students joining our communications team. They both have grown up in York Region, one hailing from Newmarket while the other is from Vaughan. Each of them has lived in the Region for over twenty years, so they know how it has changed over time. Both are looking forward to being a part of the team that brings York Region into its next era.

I hope that excitement like this spreads to all generations. I see the vivaNext generation as people of all ages, who use the vivaNext transit system as a way to travel to modern, urban destinations inside and outside of York Region.

For people in Vaughan, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (or VMC) will be a new downtown. As a hub for transit, business, shopping, and recreation, the VMC will offer a site for all ages to come together and experience York Region. Our summer student, Alanna, mentioned that she is thrilled about the opportunity to have a “downtown experience” closer to home.

John, our summer student from Newmarket, is looking forward to a highly improved Davis Drive for York Region residents. With pedestrian-friendly boulevards and easy access to places to shop, work, and relax, Davis Drive will become a new destination for the next generation of vivaNext travellers.  

Taken together, these individual projects connect into the vivaNext plan for a seamless rapid transit network, making it easy to travel to work, shopping destinations, and recreation.  

Our projects will benefit everyone who lives or works in York Region, and we want to keep in touch with all of you as these projects are underway. We’re making sure residents are in-the-know with our constant social media updates Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our e-mail updates.

The future is bright, and the vivaNext generation of travellers has a lot to be excited about.

[poll id=”31″]

Categories
Construction Rapidways Stations

Building for the future: here comes the first Highway 7 rapidway station

Installing vivastation canopies along Highway 7If you’ve been driving along Highway 7 East lately, you’ll notice an exciting development taking shape on our Highway 7 rapidway: the installation of the first of 22 vivastations.

And like everything else on the vivaNext project, the station that we’re going to be building in the median at Leslie and Highway 7 is the product of literally years of design, planning and preparation. Here’s a primer on the stations, and how they’ll be installed.

Like their predecessor at Warden Station on Enterprise Boulevard, our vivastations along Highway 7 are going to be beautiful, strong and very functional. The curved viva blue glass that makes up the canopy is surprisingly rugged – this glass is curved, tempered and laminated for strength, which prevents it from breaking into sharp pieces if it is cracked or broken. Reliability was our first priority in sourcing the manufacturer: our glass panels are actually being made by the company that makes nearly half of the world’s windshield glass.

Although the canopy is made up of nearly 100 individual panes of glass, each will be connected to its neighbour by small fasteners, known as “spiders” – so visually, the glass will look like it’s all one piece.

Supporting the glass underneath is a three-piece structure made of Canadian-fabricated steel, constructed just outside of Paris, Ontario. With durability in mind, the steel will be finished with a high-quality automotive-grade paint to minimize long-term maintenance costs.

Before the station components are delivered, a concrete platform is poured and set, and the connections built into the platform are prepared.  Then the canopy’s three steel structural sections are brought in on a wide-load tractor trailer and  installed. It takes about a week to align the sections perfectly and do some other prep, in advance of the glass being delivered and installed.

Each station includes two platforms/canopies – one for eastbound passengers and one for westbound passengers. Our schedule calls for the construction of one station canopy a month, with eastbound and then westbound canopies being built along the Highway 7 East rapidway throughout the rest of this year. There are a number of steps involved in getting the platforms ready before the glass and steel can be delivered; each platform requires about 12 weeks of work including excavations, installing electrical cables and concrete work.

One of the strategic decisions we made in the beginning for the vivaNext program is to build our rapidway segments consecutively, enabling our designers and construction experts to assess the experience of the previous segment and continually fine tune the design and construction methods. Lessons learned from our experience building the Warden Station have helped us find ways to modify the design, to make the canopies easier and more efficient to install. And because minimizing traffic impacts along the Highway 7 corridor is so critically important, our team has focused on finding strategies to install these huge canopies in a very small space with minimal lane closures.

Beyond providing rapid transit users with a comfortable and convenient experience, our vivastations are going to give a defining look and feel to Highway 7, as it becomes increasingly urbanized and developed over the next few years. We think that’s a milestone that’s really worth celebrating.

Categories
Construction Going Green Uncategorized

Protecting our trees to keep York Region green

Crew works on transplanting trees
Tree buds are an early sign of spring, their canopies are beautifully green in the summer, and we all love their colours in the fall. For many of us, the mature trees on our streets and woodlots are attractive features of York Region’s established neighbourhoods.

So when we develop the rapidway construction schedule and plan, in addition to all the other construction tasks, one of our priorities is to protect and actually increase the number of trees along our routes.

As we design and build our rapidways along Highway 7 and Davis Drive in Newmarket, here’s what we’re doing to take care of the trees we have, and plan for new ones to ensure they continue to thrive into the future.

To start with, we all have a shared commitment to making sure our construction activities minimize impacts to our natural environment. This is a formal commitment that is made early on, in the Environmental Assessments that need to be completed and approved, long before work can begin.

One of our commitments is that our construction activities minimize impacts on trees. At the stage of final design for a rapidway segment, we walk the route with our Arborists to do a careful inventory of all the trees, inspecting each and tagging them, to make sure every tree is included in our construction drawings.

For those trees that are near the construction right-of-way, we look at ways to protect them by installing special protective fencing. We will also look at alternative construction methods where we can to work around a tree, or avoid harming its roots or branches.

For trees that are in the construction right-of-way, we identify any trees that could be safely dug up and replanted somewhere else. Then we work with the local community to identify locations to transplant the trees.

There are some trees that just can’t be saved, either due to a tree’s poor health or other factors. But our commitment is that for every tree we remove, we will replace it with at least one – if not more – new trees.

So this means that once the Highway 7 and Davis Drive rapidway projects are complete, there will be 45% more trees along Highway 7 East and nearly 27% more trees along Davis Drive. Highway 7 and Davis Drive will each be significantly greener when we’re done, and all in all, this adds up to more spring buds, and more fall leaves, for us all to enjoy in the future.

Categories
Construction Stations

Winter work

Warden Station in Markham - Winter construction in 2010-2011

This winter has been unusually warm so far, but we probably can’t count on the balmy temperatures continuing all the way through until spring. But at the same time, our vivaNext rapidway construction schedule requires that we make good progress during winter. Although it might be surprising to see construction happening in winter, some work will be taking place – with a little modification to our warmer weather construction methods.

Over the winter, work continues along the boulevards on Highway 7 East, and we’ll build the foundations for the first three rapidway stations at West Beaver Creek Road, Leslie Street and East Beaver Creek Road.

Much of the work we’re doing involves concrete, which doesn’t actually dry but cures through its own internal chemical reaction that creates heat. If the concrete cools down too quickly, it won’t cure properly. So the crews must ensure the ground is warm enough before the concrete is placed, to enable the concrete to begin its own heating process. Once those chemical reactions get going, it keeps itself warm, and all we need to do is keep it insulated while it cures.

In areas where we need to excavate earth, we dig out the first few inches of frozen ground – with these milder temperatures the frost generally only extends down through the first six inches of soil. Then, using ground heaters, we blow hot air into the excavation to warm it up, and cover it with tarps. The concrete is then poured, and the tarps are kept on the concrete until it is cured. The concrete is tested to ensure it has properly set and meets our specifications.

By using these techniques, we will be able to continue work throughout the winter on the boulevards, and construct the six platforms at the three stations.

In the boulevards, we will continue to install the Cupolex® forms for the tree soil cells, which are excavated and then covered with concrete. On the station platforms, crews will augur shallow holes to pour the concrete caissons (foundations) for the platforms, then pour the concrete platform slabs on top of these foundations.

Plenty of work is happening this year for both Highway 7 East and Davis Drive, and there’s still lots of work left to do. But by continuing construction through the winter, we’ll be moving closer to finishing the Highway 7 rapidway.

Categories
Construction General

Highway 7 East: snapshot of 2011

2011 snapshot

If you’ve travelled along Highway 7 between Bayview and Warden during 2011, you’ll agree that construction has been underway for most of this year. The Highway 7 East rapidway project has firm timelines, and our contractors have been working hard to stay on schedule.

Earlier in the year, we removed the median from the centre of the road, installed a new watermain and started to relocate the utilities. Recently we’ve been installing landscape irrigation systems and continuing to relocate utilities. The construction between Bayview and Warden is part of a segment of rapidway that will connect to Warden Station, the first fully-built rapid transit vivastation, that opened for service in March, 2011.

We’re just finishing up widening Highway 7 on both sides between Bayview and Highway 404, and we have important changes to traffic patterns at intersections for both drivers and pedestrians. These changes are part of the next phase of construction, providing workers enough room to build the rapidway, and platforms and canopies of rapid transit stations.

Starting next week at the intersections of West Beaver Creek Road, Leslie Street, and East Beaver Creek Road, a dedicated left-turn signal is being added. This new signal will enable drivers to turn left and make U-turns only when no other traffic is moving. Left turns will no longer be permitted when oncoming traffic has the green light.

Wider roads mean wider intersections, so a two-stage pedestrian crossing will also be added. Pedestrians walking at a normal pace will cross to the centre island and wait for the next signal before reaching the other side. Once the rapidway is complete, this centre island is also where Viva passengers will be able to access a rapid transit station.

This has been an exciting beginning to an overall transformation of the corridor which will help shape our growing community for generations. We have many new goals to look forward to in 2012, and as we pass each milestone, the rapid transit network and welcoming streetscape will take shape.