Increased summer construction and traffic in York Region due to projects

Roads in Vaughan, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Markham will experience increased traffic and construction activity

Yorkregion.com
April 14, 2017
By Ali Raza

York Region residents should expect increased construction on local roads this summer.

As vivaNext rapid transit projects are underway, several areas in Vaughan, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Markham will experience increased traffic and construction activity.

Vaughan will have the most activity, as construction of the vivaNext projects coincides with the construction of the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension - due to open in December 2017.

Along with the subway extension, the SmartCentres Place nine-bay bus terminal near the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC), will also be open for the end of the year.

Above the upcoming subway station, a York Viva BRT station will also be constructed at VMC, which is set to open in spring 2018.

The vivaNext projects also aim to connect Vaughan from east to west. An additional BRT rapidway segment will be constructed on Hwy. 7 west in Woodbridge, where the Hwy. 400 bridge will be widened and utilities will be relocated, Centre Street, where new gas and water main installations will occur and Bathurst Street where construction will force a road widening.

Construction for the rapidway segments will be light in other municipalities. In Newmarket, hydro poles will be relocated and the road segment between Savage Road/Sawmill Valley Drive to Davis Drive will be widened.

The rapidway construction in Richmond Hill will affect Yonge Street from Hwy. 7 to 19th Avenue/Gamble Road as utilities will be relocated and the road will be widened.

In Markham, an 11-bay bus terminal will be constructed on Cornell.

With increased vivaNext rapidways and the completed Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, Metrolinx is aiming to deliver on its 25-year regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto Area.

The project is a $1.4 billion investment from the Ontario government, made in 2009. It’s a collaboration between the province, Metrolinx and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation. YRRTC plans, designs and constructs the vivaNext rapid transit network

Construction notices will be available from vivaNext via email (contactus@vivanext.com) or Twitter (@vivanext).