minilude
Active Member
no look at the picture there is a GO train nearby. GO train does not intersect at Finch and Yonge. Also the storm pond..it's a geography rendering of the yonge/hwy7 intersection.
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YRT/Viva Construction Thread (Rapidways, Terminals)
- Thread starter waterloowarrior
- Start date
cplchanb
Senior Member
Of course I know its yonge/hwy 7. Im just referring to the original question about grade separation at that area in the rendering, which is no longer the case because blue will not have a rapidway south to finch
TJ O'Pootertoot
Senior Member
IIRC, the rendering is post-subway announcement but they might have to left the rapidway in the graphic anyway to show the multi-modalness of it all. Without the subway, after all, there's no real reason for an underground bus terminal. (FWIW, the URL shows it was uploaded in 2013 though I'm sure it's originally more like 2008. Still, they didn't worry about photoshopping that bit.)
The grade separation is really a function of the Langstaff Gateway plan, which has to ramp up and deck over the CN Rail corridor; you can see it's "solid grass" north of the bridge.
So, that's obviously a hugely conceptual (though nicely done) grpahic but whether there's a rapidway or not, it's still probable buses would emerge from an underground station (and it's certainly unlikely the current terminal would remain in place). The actual design of the station - how to integrate bus, GO, Transitway and subway - probably isn't that far along- but I suspect they gave it a good deal of thought, how to get in and out of Yonge Street.
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PMT
Senior Member
Some pics I took at Interchange Way (yesterday). For some reason the pedestrian signals are covered:
South sidewalk is still incomplete:
Facing west, where the buses will merge with traffic:
Construction of the BRT subway connection:
South sidewalk is still incomplete:
Facing west, where the buses will merge with traffic:
Construction of the BRT subway connection:
Attachments
cplchanb
Senior Member
Is that the gigantic VMC station that theyre pouring in the last few shots??
innsertnamehere
Superstar
There will actually be 3 different "buildings" as a part of the VMC station. The one under construction in that image will be the VIVA bus station, which will look like an even larger version of the existing VIVA BRT stations, and will be located in the middle of Highway 7. There is then the main station entrance on the north side of Highway 7, which is nearing completion, then there will be a YRT bus terminal north of that, which I believe just started construction this summer.
The main station entrance is being built by the TTC, Metrolinx is building the VIVA station, and YRT is building the bus terminal. The legal ownership structure of VMC is quite possibly one of the most complicated in the country, especially once you include the fact that Calloway REIT owns all the development land around it, and is building commuter parking lots on their vacant lands to pull in some revenue.
YRT is also building a large bus terminal and something like 1,500 parking spaces at Pioneer Village Station in the Hydro One Corridor.. (more ownership issues there..)
The main station entrance is being built by the TTC, Metrolinx is building the VIVA station, and YRT is building the bus terminal. The legal ownership structure of VMC is quite possibly one of the most complicated in the country, especially once you include the fact that Calloway REIT owns all the development land around it, and is building commuter parking lots on their vacant lands to pull in some revenue.
YRT is also building a large bus terminal and something like 1,500 parking spaces at Pioneer Village Station in the Hydro One Corridor.. (more ownership issues there..)
TOareaFan
Superstar
Woodbridge_Heights
Senior Member
I would assume that aspect of the signal controls is not active yet and so covered up until it does go active.
PMT
Senior Member
Most likely. The pedestrian detour sign points to an opening at the end of the pylon barrier in the photo (which is out of the frame), from where you can cross the street.
Northern Light
Superstar
TJ O'Pootertoot
Senior Member
I think the prevalence of trucks, due to the rail yard, is even more of a challenge than the width. Once a streetwall develops, the width probably won't be so bad. But if there are trucks rumbling through "downtown" all the time, that will suck. I know they were talking about finishing Langstaff Road and diverting the trucks off of 7 but I'm not sure where those plans are at.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
It'll end up feeling pretty similar to University Avenue I feel. The setup in Vaughan will be exactly the same as the one in Markham, which you can tell will feel like that.
The Newmarket bus lanes feel much more pedestrian freindly as they are only 2 lanes and don't have bike lanes, so the road is much thinner. It isn't a 2 stage crossing as the road is small enough. The Bathurst, Yonge, and and Centre street BRT lanes should feel more like that once they are built since they will only have 2 vehicle lanes too.
I believe York Regions plans for the Langstaff bridge over the yards is to conduct an EA in the next couple of years to get a rough design done, but I expect that will be an incredibly expensive project. They would need a massive ~800m long bridge structure, would have to widen 2km of langstaff between Keele and Dufferin, and grade separate the rail crossing. I think metrolinx may be doing the grade separation as part of RER though. for comparison the massive Islington Avenue bridge over the willowbrook yard is around 500m long.
The Newmarket bus lanes feel much more pedestrian freindly as they are only 2 lanes and don't have bike lanes, so the road is much thinner. It isn't a 2 stage crossing as the road is small enough. The Bathurst, Yonge, and and Centre street BRT lanes should feel more like that once they are built since they will only have 2 vehicle lanes too.
I believe York Regions plans for the Langstaff bridge over the yards is to conduct an EA in the next couple of years to get a rough design done, but I expect that will be an incredibly expensive project. They would need a massive ~800m long bridge structure, would have to widen 2km of langstaff between Keele and Dufferin, and grade separate the rail crossing. I think metrolinx may be doing the grade separation as part of RER though. for comparison the massive Islington Avenue bridge over the willowbrook yard is around 500m long.
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allabootmatt
Senior Member
I know this is a somewhat tedious complaint, and as we all know the GTA is subject, apparently, to special conditions that don't exist anywhere else on the planet or even in Canada. Or something. But it seems crazy to spend as much money and time on streetscaping as has obviously occurred along VIVA routes and leave the ghastly hydro wires un-buried. It's hard to imagine this happening in Vancouver or Montreal. The Richmond leg of the Canada Line comes to mind.
MisterF
Senior Member
I agree completely. To spend so much money completely rebuilding the main street of a developing city centre and leaving those horrid hydro wires up in the air would be inconceivable in other cities. I know this has been debated to death, but as long as this practice continues in the GTA people are going to keep complaining.
To be fair to the GTA though, Ottawa does it too.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
They are talking about burying them in VMC, but they don't bury them as doing so would increase costs of the project by something like 30%. That's a big price to pay to get rid of a couple of wires.