May 24, 2012

Locals to learn new road rules

Dufferin St. expansion to include HOV and bike lanes

SANDRA YEUNG RACCO Thornhill Councillor

SANDRA YEUNG RACCO Thornhill Councillor

A MAJOR CONCERN for taxpayers is the everincreasing traffic congestion due to rapidly growing developments in the city of Vaughan.

The city and York Region recognize this problem and have worked together to develop a 10-year road construction program.

One of these construction projects has been taking place along Dufferin Street, between Steeles Avenue West and Glen Shields Avenue North, where Dufferin will become a six-lane roadway. This widening reconstruction project began last summer, but it was shut down for the winter season. I have received confirmation that we’re on schedule to finish the project by the end of this summer.

The Dufferin Street project will include dedicated transit and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and on-street bike lanes adjacent to the curb on both sides of the street.

Landscaped centre medians with raised planters will be installed in the centre of the road, along with trees and shrubs in the median and boulevards. An automated irrigation system will be installed to water the raised planters.

Upgraded traffic signal controls will be installed as well as new sidewalks, where required, and replacement of any existing damaged sections. And the section of Dufferin Street from Glen Shields Avenue north to Langstaff Road will be resurfaced.

There is an opportunity to incorporate HOV and bike lanes into this section of Dufferin Street as well, and the region is in the process of preparing designs and obtaining permits to undertake this work. The Dufferin Street expansion is the first six-lane road with HOV and bike lanes, so the region will use newsletters, signs and a website to communicate its education plan.

To find out more, e-mail Sandra.Racco@vaughan.ca.

This article appears in the June 2009 issue of Post City Magazines