Transit users experiencing up to 35 per cent travel time savings on the new rapidways
MARKHAM, ON, Dec. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Construction on the York Viva Bus Rapid Transit (vivaNext) rapidways across York Region saw a lot of progress along each corridor this year.
On Davis Drive in Newmarket, utilities and telecommunications were relocated in segments to prepare for road widening and the building of the rapidways in the centre of the road. Road widening continued and base-layer paving was also completed in sections along Davis. Construction began on the vivastation at Longford/Parkside and the vivastations at Main Street and Southlake Hospital are following close behind. The project is now 70 per cent completed and will open in December 2015.
Along Highway 7 West in the City of Vaughan, the transformation is well underway for the first phase of vivaNext rapidways. Between Jane Street and the Canadian National Railway [CN] MacMillan Bridge, road widening is finished, base-layer paving, retaining wall construction and the CN Bridge expansion continues, and underground infrastructure relocation is nearing completion. East of Jane Street, traffic has been shifted to its final configuration, so that work in the centre of the road (including platforms and canopies) can begin in 2015. This phase is now 30 per cent complete. The contract for phase two of rapidways in Vaughan will be awarded in 2015. While some pre-construction activities are already underway, construction is expected to begin in late 2015 or early 2016.
On Yonge Street in Richmond Hill and Newmarket, the Yonge Street contractor is finalizing the design of the bus rapidway and developing a construction schedule. As part of the pre-construction phase, crews are documenting existing conditions above and below the ground.
On Highway 7 East in Markham, the second stretch of rapidway opened from Highway 404 to South Town Centre Boulevard, and construction will be complete on the last piece to Warden Avenue by the end of 2014, with some finishing touches to add in spring 2015. This final section allows Viva customers to experience the future of rapid transit in York Region, allowing them to travel in comfort and convenience in dedicated rapid transit lanes, from Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill to the Downtown Markham development area. Customers are experiencing up to 35 per cent travel time savings on the rapidways.
Project Background
The Davis Drive rapidway in the Town of Newmarket will extend 2.6-kilometres from Yonge Street to Roxborough Road, with Viva rapid transit service continuing eastward in the curb lane to Highway 404.
Phase one of the Highway 7 West rapidway construction in the City of Vaughan will extend 3.6-kilometres from Interchange Way/Edgeley Boulevard to just east of Keele Street at Bowes Road. The new vivastation in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre development area will connect the rapidway to the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension and to an inter-regional bus terminal. Phase two includes approximately 12-kilometres of rapidways on the existing Viva route on Highway 7 West, from Edgeley Boulevard to Pine Valley Drive, and from Bowes Road to Yonge Street, including parts of Bathurst and Centre Streets.
The Highway 7 East rapidway through the City of Markham and Town of Richmond Hill extends 6-kilometres from Bayview Avenue to Warden Avenue at Enterprise Boulevard, via South Town Centre Boulevard and Cedarland Drive. This segment west of Hwy. 404 opened on August 18, 2013. The segment east of Highway 404 to Warden Avenue opened on August 25, 2014. The last stretch down South Town Centre Boulevard and across to Warden Avenue at Enterprise Drive will open shortly.
In Richmond Hill, the Yonge Street rapidway will extend 6.5-kilometres from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue/ Gamble Road, including seven new vivastations. In the heritage area north of Major Mackenzie Drive, Viva will continue to drive in mixed traffic as it does today. In Newmarket, the rapidway will extend 2.4-kilometres on Yonge Street from just south of Mulock Drive to Davis Drive, and will include three new vivastations.
The York Viva Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project represents a $1.4 billion transit infrastructure investment from the Government of Ontario, and is an example of The Big Move in action – Metrolinx's 25-year plan for an integrated and sustainable transit and transportation system in the GTHA. The project is being implemented by Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario. For more information about Metrolinx, visit metrolinx.com.
York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC) is responsible for the planning, design and construction of the full vivaNext rapid transit network and related infrastructure to deliver on the transit priorities set out in the York Region Transportation Master Plan. YRRTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary and share capital corporation of The Regional Municipality of York. The vivaNext plan is a key component of the vision outlined by Ontario's Places to Grow Act, which aims to manage growth in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way that enriches communities. For more information, please visit vivanext.com.
SOURCE: Metrolinx vivaNext
Sarah Harris, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, 905-886-6767 ext. 71380, [email protected]; Malon Edwards, Metrolinx, (416) 202-5945, [email protected]
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