THEN & NOW: Timeline of Viva Rapidway at Yonge and Mulock in Newmarket

Photo finish: Viva Rapidway along Yonge Street now open. Construction is finally over

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 19, 2020
Lisa Queen and Amanda Persico

York Region’s new Viva bus rapidway in Newmarket opened last month, a 2.4-kilometre section of dedicated bus lanes running in the centre of Yonge Street from Davis Drive to Savage Road/Sawmill Valley Drive.

The project includes upgraded utility infrastructure, wider sidewalks with decorative paver stones, new trees and shrubs and raised bike lanes.

Our photographers have taken photos of Yonge and Mulock over the last couple of years and we've put together a pictorial timeline of the area.

The Newmarket section is part of 34 kilometres of rapidway network along Yonge and Hwy. 7 throughout the region.

The regional network is part of $8.6 billion in funding the provincial government announced in 2009 for transit projects in York Region, Toronto and Hamilton. York’s Viva bus rapidways received $1.4 billion of that. The project was divided into segments to phase-in construction over several years to help limit overall disruption.

The Newmarket section on Yonge links to the Davis Drive rapidway, making connections to the GO station, bus routes and to the Hwy. 404 and Davis Drive park and ride.

On April 22, 2014, York RapidLINK Constructors, a joint venture of Aecon and Dufferin Construction, was awarded the contract to build 8.9 kilometres of rapidways along Yonge in Newmarket and Richmond Hill.

Work on the Yonge Street rapidway project in Newmarket began with utility relocations in October 2015. Roadway construction started in April 2017. And the rapidway opened for service on Jan. 5, 2020.

There are three new Viva stations: Mulock Drive; Eagle Street and Davis Drive.

The project included 30,000 tonnes of asphalt, 300 tonnes of concrete poured for the stations, 15,000 linear metres of line painting, 130 LED street lights, 103 hydro poles and nine retaining walls.

Buses heading south on Yonge connect with the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, which connects with routes in Vaughan and Markham, and the future Yonge North Subway Extension.

Buses heading north on Yonge stop near the Newmarket Bus Terminal and Upper Canada Mall, connecting with the Davis Drive rapidway that opened in 2015, offering connections to Southlake Regional Health Centre and the Highway 404 park and ride.

Viva buses no longer travel along Eagle Street, instead the buses travel north to Davis Drive then west along Davis Drive to the YRT bus terminal.