September 25, 2013

To continue relocating utilities and prepare for building retaining walls and road widening, crews will be tagging, removing and transplanting trees along Highway 7 West, between Jane Street and Bowes Road.

Why are trees being removed along Highway 7?

Highway 7 West is being widened for rapidways – dedicated lanes in the centre of the road for bus rapid transit. Trees that are located within the road widening area need to be removed to allow for the next phase of construction.

How many trees are being removed vs. preserved?

In preparation for the next phase of construction, approximately 100 trees of varying health and sizes will be removed. Special effort will be undertaken to transplant 19 trees to the nearby Southview Park and protect 418 existing trees. Once the rapidway project is complete, landscaping will include over 550 new trees.

When will this work take place?

• Dates: September 26 to October 4
• Hours of work: 7am to 7pm

What species of trees are being removed?

The species of trees being removed during this initial phase are Buckthorn, Cedar, Cherry, Currant, Elm, English Oak, Ivory Silk Lilac, Juniper, Manitoba Maple, Paper Birch, Pear, Russian Olives, Serviceberry, Spruce and White Oak.

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 rolling lane closures: as required between 9:30am and 3:30pm in the eastbound and westbound curb lanes as crews move along the corridor between Jane Street and Bowes Road. Traffic control personnel and paid duty officers will be on site as required.
• Wherever possible, sidewalks will remain open. If a sidewalk is closed, directional signage will be onsite to guide pedestrians.

If you have questions about the tree removal program or the rapidway project:

Carrie Slattery
Community Liaison
Telephone: 905.886.6767 Ext.1129
Cell: 289.716.0091
Email: carrie.slattery@york.ca

* Please note: As with other road construction projects, some work may be rescheduled due to weather. We’ll provide advance notice whenever possible.