York Region announces road construction projects, avoid these headaches

YorkRegion.com
April 11, 2017
Lisa Queen

There will be $250 million worth of construction headaches to avoid on York Region roads this year.

That’s how much the region is spending on its road and transit projects in 2017, Salim Alibhai, the transportation department’s director of capital planning and delivery, said.

With residents continuing to identify transportation as their top local concern, the region will spend $2.3 billion on roads and transit capital projects over the next 10 years, he said.

“Communities are growing really fast and we need to keep up with that growth and improve roads. We are doing whatever we can to invest in transportation,” Alibhai said.

“Investment includes doing the growth projects to build system capacity but we also need to maintain our (existing) road network.”

Major projects this year include:

• 2nd Concession in East Gwillimbury. The region will spend $84 million on road widening and three new bridges, including a pedestrian bridge and cycling facilities. The project will include installation of water and sewer infrastructure, construction of pumping stations as part of the York Durham Sewage System and a better connection to the Nokiidaa Trail and Holland River/Rogers Reservoir hiking trails;
• Bayview Avenue from Elgin Mills Road to Stouffville Road and 19th Avenue. The $41 million-project will include widening the road to four lanes from two, installing curbs, boulevards, street lighting, bike lanes and sidewalks and relocating and constructing a channel for a watercourse. A section of Bayview north of 19th to north of Glen Meadow Lane will be closed for three months during the summer;
• Leslie Street from Don Hillock Drive in Aurora to Mulock Drive and from St. John’s Sideroad from Bayview to Woodbine avenues. As part of the $76 million project, St. John’s from Thomas Phillips Drive/William Gram Drive will be closed from April 18 to December. Construction will also include continuation of the widening of Leslie to four lanes, completing bridge construction east of Mavrinac Boulevard in Aurora, replacing the culvert west of Leslie, installing street lighting and replacing and installing new traffic signals;
• Highway 7 from Town Boulevard Centre to Scriberras Road in Markham. The $40.9-million project will see the region widening Highway 7 and providing streetscaping. Unlike Highway 7 Viva service running in the centre of the road west of Town Centre Boulevard, buses will run in HOV/transit lanes along this section of Highway 7;
• Major Mackenzie from Highway 50 to Highway 400. As part of the $171 million project, the region will widen Major Mackenzie to six lanes, including several structures over CP Rail tracks and watercourses. The improvements are being co-ordinated with the Ministry of Transportation’s extension of Highway 427 up to Major Mackenzie;
• Highway 404 midblock crossing north of Highway 7. The $59-million project is one of four planned bridges over Highway 404. This crossing has already been constructed, but work will start this year on the northbound off-ramp extension and structure. The project is a partnership between the region, Markham and Richmond Hill.

The region is also buying 19 new buses, including six electric buses, and refurbishing 40 buses.