Construction starts on Mulock Drive in Newmarket

YorkRegion.com
July 9, 2014
Chris Simon

As construction work related to the installation of the VivaNext bus rapidways continues on Davis Drive in Newmarket, York Region has just started a road resurfacing project on Mulock Drive.

The work will occur on Mulock between Yonge Street and Hwy. 404 and is expected to last until September. The region plans for the majority of the construction to take place at night in order to minimize the disruptions to both vehicular traffic and businesses.

Newmarket Ward 6 Councillor Maddie Di Muccio isn’t pleased at the thought of orange pylons, construction crews and equipment taking up residence along the town’s other major east-west route and has questioned representatives from the region on why so much road work has been scheduled at the same time. She further intends to raise the issue with Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen and regional Councillor John Taylor.

“I asked York Region representatives, during a presentation in the council chambers about a month ago, if they would ensure all of this roadwork would not be happening at the same time (and) yet it seems to be,” Di Muccio said in an email.

“How many major roads need to be blocked by roadwork simultaneously?”

The region’s manager of engineering in capital planning, David Atkins, explained the plan is to give Mulock a major facelift by resurfacing it with new asphalt, repairing and replacing the curbs and ensuring the intersections and pedestrian crossings along it are compliant with the province’s Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

That said, the region is also cogniscent of the fact there is significant work underway on Davis, he continued, and that’s why the construction along Mulock has been scheduled for the overnight period for the 10-week duration of the $4.5-million project.

“We will re-open all lanes, driveways and commercial entrances at the end of the overnight period,” Atkins said. “Most of the work is only scheduled from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.”

Some minor activity will take place during the day, but only from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. so it’s after the morning rush and before the evening commute, said Atkins.

Motorists may also notice grooves in the road surface as they travel, which are left behind when the top layer of asphalt is removed, he said, adding that the upcoming project likely represents the most attention the road has received since it was widened from two lanes to four in the mid-1990s.