Bathurst and Centre Streets are being widened for rapidways—dedicated lanes in the centre of the road for rapid transit. Trees that are located within the road widening area need to be removed to allow for water main replacement, utility relocation and road widening work activities.

how many trees are being removed vs. preserved?

During this first phase of removals, 156 trees of varying health and sizes will be removed from York Region’s right-of-way, and special effort will be undertaken to protect 841 existing trees. In addition, 38 trees will be transplanted to three parks in Thornhill. Once the rapidway project is complete, landscaping will include over 1,000 new trees and 8,000 shrubs.

what species of trees are being removed?

The species of trees being removed during this initial phase are Emerald Ash, Russian Olive, Honey Locust, Maples, Cedar, Basswood, Oak, Elm, Linden, Aspen, Cherry and Spruce.

what are the trees being replaced with?

Once the rapidway is built, Highway 7 West will have attractive, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and extensive landscaping with many types of trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and perennial flowers.

what impacts will there be during this work?

Being mindful of the community, crews will remove trees in sections and chip the wood off site. All areas will be cleaned up before moving on to the next location.

• Temporary lane closures: as required, 7am–7pm in the curb lanes as crews move along the corridor.
• Wherever possible, sidewalks will remain open. If a sidewalk is closed, directional signs will be onsite to guide pedestrians.