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ION Update December 2014 ION partnership encourages support of businesses during construction ION and the UpTown Waterloo BIA have partnered on a five-week social media campaign to encourage guests to visit UpTown Waterloo during ION construction. The campaign also reminds residents that access to all businesses remains open during ION construction. Participants can get involved in the ION/UpTown Challenge by taking an ION item to any UpTown Waterloo business. To enter, snap a photograph with an ION-branded item and link it to one of the key UpTown Waterloo BIA words – live, work, learn, play or shop. The ION/UpTown Challenge runs through December 19. To participate, connect with the UpTown Waterloo BIA on Facebook at facebook.com/uptown.waterloo or Twitter at @UpTownWaterloo A similar partnership with the Downtown Kitchener BIA will be launched in 2015 to coincide with ION construction on Charles and Duke.
ION construction continues into December In Waterloo, construction to upgrade underground services (i.e., water and wastewater) and make way for ION continues on Caroline, between Allen to just past Father David Bauer. Although some portions of Caroline are closed to through traffic, access is being maintained for residents, businesses (both customers and deliveries) and fire, police and EMS. Construction is expected to continue through December, weather-permitting, at which point the road will open until next spring. In Kitchener, construction on Borden to upgrade existing underground services is also underway, with portions of the road closed to through traffic between Charles and Nyberg. Construction will cease once winter weather arrives, at which point Borden will open until next spring. Work on Borden, from Courtland to the Huron Spur railway tracks will begin in spring 2015. More information will be provided closer to the start date. The removal of vegetation along the Huron Spur railway tracks, from Northfield to King South, started this summer and is progressing well. GrandLinq Contractors crews are now accessing the CN railway tracks from Columbia to remove cleared vegetation. This access point is expected to be used until late December.
Above: ION construction on Caroline
ION construction is also underway along the Huron Spur in Kitchener and at the Operations, Maintenance and Storage Facility on Dutton Drive in Waterloo. This facility will be home to the Region’s light rail vehicles when light rail transit service begins in 2017. Work at the Courtland Avenue underpass at Highway 7/8 is also underway and is expected to be complete in early 2015. ION adapted bus rapid transit (aBRT) construction continues along Hespeler and at the Ainslie Street transit terminal in Cambridge. Pending weather conditions, the majority of this construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
At least one lane of through traffic continues to be maintained in each direction at all times on Hespeler during construction. Local and Emergency Services as well as Grand River Transit (GRT) services are being maintained at all times along with access to businesses and residences.
Stay in touch: construction website
ION aBRT is the first step towards bringing LRT to Cambridge, with the aBRT service due to launch in 2015.
A website dedicated to ION construction is available for residents and visitors. The site features an interactive ION route map, information on ION stops as well as a sign-up for regular construction updates. A link to Grand River Transit (GRT) is also included in construction updates for areas where construction may affect GRT service. The website includes the most up-to-date information on all aspects of ION construction. Above: ION construction at Courtland Avenue underpass at Highway 7/8
Visit the website at: www.rideION.ca The latest ION Construction Updates are available at: http://bit.ly/1tpNcko Sign-up to have the latest Construction Updates emailed to you at: http://www.rideion.ca/sign-up-for-updates.html
Talking ION video series
In the latest Talking ION video, Aimee and Martin Kocak of Artisan Zone in Downtown Kitchener discuss the long-term benefits they feel ION will provide for Waterloo Region. The Talking ION series features community members discussing various aspects of the ION service in Waterloo Region and will continue through to 2015. View the video at: http://bit.ly/1vFD4rT
ION LRT construction in 2015 All areas along the 19 kilometre ION LRT route will see construction in 2015. With large projects such as ION, exact schedules evolve according to weather conditions and construction approvals.
Throughout 2015, ION staff will continue to meet with stakeholders, including residents, business owners and community groups, to keep them informed of construction and how road restrictions and/or road closures will impact them. Once construction details are finalized, each resident and business owner within 100 metres of ION construction will receive a written notification before work begins. Road signage, including detour information and way-finding for businesses (how customers can access stores), will go up before construction commences. Advertisements will be also placed in local newspapers and detailed information will continue to be available at www.rideION.ca as well as on the ION social media channels. Residents can also sign-up for on-going construction updates through the construction website.
City of Kitchener: Planning Around Rapid Transit Stations (PARTS) In 2013, the City of Kitchener started the Planning Around Rapid Transit Stations (PARTS) Project. This compiled existing conditions and background information for the ION station areas and identified the work program and key deliverables for station area planning, including the prioritization and timing of the Station Area Plans.
The Central Stations Study Area Plan was chosen first, in part because of the work and momentum already happening in the Downtown core. On November 19, the City began consulting with the public for the six stations stops in the Central Area of Kitchener. This plan will outline the most appropriate land uses, streetscapes and infrastructure requirements within about a 10-minute walk of each ION stop. The first community engagement session for the Central Stations Study Area Plan provided information about the project and asked participants specific questions to help staff understand what residents thoughts are and what factors could influence peoples’ decisions to use ION LRT. The City of Kitchener asked:
Do you live, work or go to school within a 10 minute walk of an ION stop? Do you see yourself using ION and if not, what would encourage you to do so? What route would you take to go to or from a stop and would you walk, bike or drive to it? Would you want to grab a coffee, pick up groceries or stop at a park on the way to or from the stop or what other amenities would you like to see around the stops?
City of Kitchener staff will take the feedback received through this phase of the project and return to the public in the spring of 2015 to present several possible scenarios. Staff will then take this subsequent feedback and develop a preferred scenario that will be presented to the public in the fall of 2015 for feedback. For more information please visit www.kitchener.ca/parts To request to be on the email distribution list for the Central Stations Study Area Plan please email
[email protected]
ION spotlight: Young & Gaukel
The Young and Gaukel ION stops are key destinations on the ION route as they provide access to Downtown Kitchener. Young serves northbound passengers, while Gaukel serves southbound passengers. Gaukel is located within steps of GRT services at the Charles Street Terminal, while Young is a short walk from these services, ensuring convenient access to Waterloo Region transit. Young and Gaukel are on the doorstep to Downtown Kitchener’s numerous facilities such as Kitchener City Hall, Wilfrid Laurier’s School of Social Work as well as an array of Downtown employers.
The ION stop at Young
Shoppers and tourists will use Young and Gaukel to take advantage of Downtown Kitchener’s array of activities and events throughout the year, such as Kitchener Blues Festival and Cruising on King Street as well as those taking place at nearby Victoria Park. Long-term, Young and Gaukel stops will serve a growing number of Downtown residents, with new developments continuing in this area. City Centre Condominiums, for example, is located in between the Young and Gaukel ION stops and will house nearly 180 condominiums upon completion.
The ION stop at Gaukel
For more information on ION stops, see this link http://bit.ly/1m6vTAQ or access the ION route through an interactive map available at: http://bit.ly/1qJqL8Y
About ION ION, the Region of Waterloo's rapid transit service, which was approved by Council in June 2011, is a visionary plan that will help shape the community for the future by bringing LRT to the region in two stages. Stage 1, set to open in 2017, includes a 19kilometre LRT route from the Conestoga Mall transit terminal in Waterloo to the Fairview Park Mall transit terminal in Kitchener, with stops at 16 destinations including the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier, UpTown Waterloo, Grand River Hospital, King/Victoria transit hub and Downtown Kitchener. Stage 1 also features a 17-kilometre route of aBRT from the Ainslie Street transit terminal in Cambridge to the Fairview Park Mall transit terminal in Kitchener. aBRT service will begin in 2015. Stage 2 ION will see the Region convert the aBRT line to LRT, creating a seamless 37kilometre ION route with 23 stops between Cambridge and Waterloo.
