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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Alan Brown,
Director of Engineering |
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PREPARED BY: |
Arup
Mukherjee, Manager of Transportation |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2004-Apr-26 |
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SUBJECT: |
Highway 7 Rapid
Transit Alignment |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the report dated
That the preferred alignment of the Highway 7 rapid transit project (Alternative C3 and C3-4– Hwy 7, Town Centre Blvd, Civic Mall Corridor, Helen Avenue, Kennedy Road) as identified in Regional Report, dated September 8, 2003 (Attachment 1 and 2), be endorsed by Council;
And that crossing of Hwy 404 be finalized in consultation with the
Town of
And that staff continue to work with YRTP, the Region of York and area landowners to finalize details with respect to property implications, road cross sections, station locations and streetscape;
And that staff report back on the details of the Environmental Assessment Study for endorsement and final conditions by Council once it is formally submitted for review to the Ministry of Environment, expected in Fall of 2004;
And that Mary-Frances Turner, Executive Co-ordinator of YRTP and Kees Schipper, Commissioner of Transportation and Works for the Region of York be advised of Council’s decision.
PURPOSE:
This report seeks the preliminary endorsement of Council regarding
the preferred alignment of the Highway 7 Rapid Transit project in
BACKGROUND:
In
June 2002, the Region of York formed a public private partnership to plan,
design and build the rapid transit plan as identified in the Region’s
Transportation Master Plan. One of the first
priorities of the partnership is to complete the Environmental Assessments for
each of the four transit corridors along
During
the course of the EA study, Town and YRTP staff have updated Council at key
stages. Presentations and updates have
been provided at the following Transportation Committee meetings:
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At the Sep 29, 2003 Transportation Committee meeting, staff presented a report on the Network Configuration Study, which outlined the proposed development and phasing of the rapid transit system including routes and technologies (i.e. bus, light rail and subway). Council endorsed this report subject to further consideration of light rail technology east of Unionville based upon the results of the Highway 7 Corridor Study which is still ongoing.
The Quick Start Programme for Hwy 7 is a separate short term programme
to improve transit until the full rapid transit system is in place.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
Alternatives for the Highway 7 alignment have been
assessed
Based
on a review of key parameters (land use, physical constraints, costs) it was
determined that an alignment that generally stays along Highway 7 would best
serve the needs in Markham except for the section between Woodbine Avenue and
Kennedy Road. In this section, three primary options were considered for more detailed evaluation in relation
to Markham Centre. These options are illustrated on Attachment 1
and are identified as follows:
These
options were evaluated based on the following goals and objectives of the rapid
transit network:
Attachment
1 also outlines a detailed assessment of these
alternatives in meeting these goals and objectives.
Based on this assessment, Alternative C3 was selected by YRTP, in consultation with the Town and other Stakeholders as the preferred primary route for the following reasons:
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It provides direct service to, and through,
the planned Markham Centre from both east and west, including a civic transit
mall through the Remington Downtown plan.
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It provides the best linkage of the existing
Markham Civic Centre facilities to the major mixed-use Markham Centre
development.
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A good connection to GO Transit’s
Stouffville Rail service and a future 407 BRT service can be achieved at
Unionville GO Station.
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Proposed station locations will offer
convenient access to both existing and future mixed-use development along most
of the route.
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It offers the greatest potential for urban
design improvements in the Highway 7 corridor and Markham Centre through a
combination of arterial road and civic mall rights-of-way.
·
Although not as minimal as a Highway 7 only
route, effects on the natural environment are confined to a single new crossing
of a
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Capital costs are estimated to be similar to
the other alternatives and land acquisition costs are limited to approx. 0.6 km
of the route.
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Traffic interface concerns on the Highway 7
and Kennedy sections can be mitigated and attenuation of noise and vibration on
the civic mall is feasible if required.
The crossing of Hwy 404
poses a significant technical and financial issue to address.
Having selected C3 as the primary route, a second
stage analysis of the local alignment options to transition from Hwy 7 near the
Civic Centre to Markham Centre was carried out.
These comprised alignments C3-1 to C3-5, shown
in Attachment 2 and identified as follows:
C3-1
– Hwy 7 and
C3-2
- Hwy 7 and
C3-4
- South Town Centre Blvd and new link to Civic Mall
C3-5
– Hwy 7 and
These
local options were assessed based on goals and objectives of the rapid transit
network noted earlier and the details of this assessment are shown in Attachment
2. Variation C3-4 was determined to be the preferred alternative based on
the following:
A
copy of the Region’s
The
preferred alignment of the transit way complements and enhances the Markham
Centre plan. A strong transit corridor
is one of the vital elements of a successful smart growth plan. Diverting the transit way from Highway 7
through the core area of downtown is a key factor in achieving the 30% mode
split target. Station locations have
been identified to maximize the catchment area for residential and commercial
land uses. Hence the alignment along
The
S. Town Centre alignment for the transit way will have an impact on property and
adjacent development. Staff have worked
with YRTP to review the traffic operational needs along this roadway and have
met with the developers in this area.
The required widening of
The
EA studies continue to evaluate the technical details associated with various
design and alignment options. It is
expected that the final EA document will be submitted to the Ministry of
Environment this Fall. Staff will
continue to work closely with YRTP staff, Regional staff and area landowners in
evaluating various alignments and the design implications. The evaluation includes detailed review of
right-of-way implications, streetscaping, transit stops, road cross sections,
intersection operations, pedestrian access, parking, built form. Staff will continue to evaluate these issues
in consultation with YRTP, the Region, and other stakeholders and report back
with conditions for the final EA study in the Fall.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial implications to the Town as a result of the preferred alignment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – Primary Alignment Options and
Evaluation of Primary Alignment Options
Attachment 3 – Regional Report on Alignments
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Alan
Brown, C.E.T. Director
of Engineering |
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Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner
of Development Services |
