July 05, 2013

The next generation of rapid transit is coming to Yonge Street, providing fast, reliable, convenient transit and accommodating new intensified development in Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

Construction of the Yonge Street rapidway will begin in 2014, and is scheduled to be completed in 2018. We are committed to keeping you informed and work with you to provide up-to-date information as the project proceeds. Over the next few months, we’ll be busy reviewing designs and getting plans together to prepare for construction. During this preliminary engineering planning phase, you will see land surveyors and construction crews documenting existing properties, road/soil conditions, utilities and confirming property/project boundaries. These accredited survey crews will be working on the Yonge Street corridor on behalf of York Region and will have proper identification with them.

more about the Yonge Street rapidways

In Richmond Hill, Yonge Street will be widened to accommodate dedicated rapidway lanes for viva rapid transit vehicles in the centre of the road and seven beautiful new vivastations. In total the rapidway will extend 6.9 kilometres from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue/Gamble Road. In the heritage area north of Major Mackenzie Drive, viva will continue to drive in mixed traffic as it does today. The Yonge Street rapidway is a key part of York Region’s transit network, and will connect with the Richmond Hill Centre/Langstaff Urban Gateway at Highway 7 – with GO Transit and the proposed Yonge Subway Extension.

In Newmarket, dedicated bus rapid transit lanes will run along 2.5 kilometres of Yonge Street from just south of Mulock Drive to Davis Drive, including three new vivastations at Mulock Drive, Eagle Street and Davis Drive.

This year we’re surveying and advancing designs to prepare for construction. The Yonge Street rapidway project includes attractive landscaping, wider sidewalks and some bike lanes, setting the stage for pedestrian-friendly and mixed-use development and enhancing the area as an attractive destination for residents, businesses and visitors to live, work and visit.

preliminary engineering activity is underway on Yonge Street

Over the next few months, there will be various activities taking place on Yonge Street between Highway 7 and 19th Avenue/Gamble Road in Richmond Hill and between Mulock Drive and Davis Drive in Newmarket.

why is this work taking place?

As vivaNext continues to advance designs for the Yonge Street rapidways, preliminary engineering activities [including geotechnical testing, utility locates, and surveying] are required to prepare the corridor for rapidway construction.

what type of work is being done?

• Geotechnical testing, including bore hole drilling to determine pavement thickness and integrity of the material underneath
• Utility investigation to determine location of various utilities
• Surveyors taking measurements and confirming property needs 

what impact will there be?

• Most of the work will be completed in the road right-of-way and on the boulevards on either side of Yonge Street
• Some activities may involve temporary lane closures
• The work is not anticipated to have direct impacts to private property 

how long will all this work take?

• Crews will be working at various locations starting in July and continuing into the fall months

Should you have any questions regarding the project and how it may impact your property, staff are always available to talk to you by phone or to meet with you individually. Please don’t hesitate to contact your Community Liaison, at 905.505.1430 should you have any questions or comments.