Improved transit access and connectivity for Pickering commuters
Pickering, Ontario, January 11, 2011 - A new pedestrian bridge over Highway 401 will provide better access for commuters by connecting the Pickering GO Station south of the highway to the Pickering Town Centre and the city's new downtown core, both located on the north side.
Construction on the 250-metre bridge is currently underway. The bridge will be fully enclosed and will link GO parking at the base of an office tower north of Highway 401 to the GO station and platforms on the south side. The north parking is currently under construction and will provide more than 500 structured parking spaces for use by GO Transit commuters.
"Effective transit solutions are important infrastructure investments that benefit the community for years to come," said MP Colin Carrie, on behalf of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "In particular, the pedestrian bridge will provide a safe link for pedestrians and cyclists, while also reducing traffic congestion in the area. Our Government is proud of its contribution to this worthwhile project."
"This is great news for Pickering commuters. A new pedestrian bridge will help transit riders get to the GO station easier and faster," said Ajax-Pickering MPP Joe Dickson. "Transit investments, like this, are part of the McGuinty Government's Open Ontario plan to create jobs, strengthen our economy and improve our environment."
Through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (ISF), the federal and provincial governments are each contributing $5 million toward the eligible cost of this project. GO Transit is providing the remaining $12.5 million of the total project cost.
"The addition of this bridge will be a real benefit to our customers to improve access to our station and our service," said GO Transit President, Gary McNeil. "The bridge – and other projects like it – also marks an important shift in thinking about transit and how people get around. As more and more people live closer to our GO stations, we want to enable them to choose walking or biking as a viable way of getting around."
The investments to improve station access and capacity in Pickering also represent a key commitment to support intensification, urban renewal and public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
As part of the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan, the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund is providing funding to nearly 4,000 infrastructure projects across the country, including this one.
The contribution from the Province of Ontario comes from the McGuinty government's Open Ontario plan, which includes a $32-billion infrastructure investment plan to strengthen the economy by creating and sustaining over 300,000 jobs.
Since 2007, the governments of Canada and Ontario have committed over $13 billion in funding to more than 6,400 infrastructure projects across the province.
For information about federal investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.
To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit www.ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Office of MP Carrie
(905) 440-4868
Office of MPP Dickson
(905) 427-2060
Ian McConachie
Metrolinx/GO Transit
(416) 874-5975
Malon Edwards
Metrolinx/GO Transit
(416) 874-5945
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148 or toll free 1-877-250-7154
Construction recently began on a new pedestrian bridge at the Pickering GO Station. The 250-metre fully enclosed bridge will provide commuters with safe and convenient access over Highway 401 to the City of Pickering's downtown core.
In October 1995, the City of Pickering received and approved the Town of Pickering Trails and Bikeway Master Plan which identified Highway 401 as a barrier to safe, comfortable and convenient north-south non-motorized (bike and pedestrian) travel in Pickering. Out of this identified need, a proposal to construct a pedestrian bridge as a means of going across Highway 401 was developed.
Throughout the latter part of 1990s and early 2000s the City of Pickering continued their future plans for a pedestrian bridge across Highway 401 by developing and approving the Pickering Downtown Intensification Plan. The pedestrian bridge, with its connection to GO Transit, is an integral part of this plan.
In April 2007, the City of Pickering received approval of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over Highway 401. Throughout the later part of 2007 and 2008, the City of Pickering commenced preliminary and conceptual design of the bridge.
In October 2009, Metrolinx assumed the detailed design contract for the construction of the pedestrian bridge at the 50 per cent stage from the City of Pickering. Upon review of the proposed design by Metrolinx, it was identified that the pedestrian bridge will become part of an integral part of the future development and intensification of downtown Pickering, and that the architectural features of the bridge are of utmost importance. It was at this point that the bridge was modified to its current design.
GO Transit is also providing, to the north of Highway 401, an additional 500 parking spaces for GO commuters. Additional parking to the south of Highway 401 at the Pickering GO Station site will commence upon completion of the pedestrian bridge and north parking structure.
GO Transit is the Province of Ontario's interregional public transit system linking Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). GO carries nearly 55 million passengers a year in an extensive network of train and bus services that spans over 10,000 square kilometres. GO Transit is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario.
