Metrolinx and the Regional Municipality of York yesterday announced that they had awarded nearly $250 million for contracts to design and build parts of the Viva bus rapid transit “rapidways”. Rapidways are bus-only roadways or bus-only lanes along streets with other traffic. They have awarded both contracts to the partnership of Kiewit - Ellis Don (KED).
The first contract is for construction along Davis Drive in Newmarket. The Davis Drive rapidways will stretch 2.6 kilometres (1.6 miles) between Yonge Street and Roxborough Road / Patterson Street - just east of the Southlake Regional Health Centre. The project includes:
- installing six retaining walls;
- widening Keith Bridge; and
- removing and relocating light poles.
This early construction activity prepares Davis Drive for contractors to later widen the roadway and build the rapidways. The contractors should finish this early construction work later this year. Metrolinx and the Region expect contractors to finish the entire project in 2014.
The second contract is for designing and building a 7-kilometre (4.3-mile) rapidway along Highway 7 between Yonge Street and Warden Avenue at Enterprise Boulevard in Markham. Early construction activity is now underway and the contractors will finish the project in 2014.
Metrolinx is funding these projects as part of its $1.4 billion commitment to improving transit in York Region. The rapidway project is just one component of a larger $9.5 billion commitment to the first five priority projects of “The Big Move”, Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan.
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