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economist suntribune transportation saturday jan 12 2002 wider hwy 404 could get longer this month bymikeadler staff writer another section of hwy 404 is now easier to travel and the lat est extension of the highway is almost ready to open ministry of transportation spokesperson will mackenzie said the 404s newest span from davis drive to green lane herald road in newmarket may open though still unfin ished to traffic this month the weathers going to be the big factor mackenzie said this week adding that final paving and electrical work will begin this spring the project is not going to be completed but it will be usable and that will help a lot of peo ple also a relief to many the ministry estimates 110000 vehi cles a day reach the southern end of the region on the 404 is the widening of the highway from four to six lanes between major mackenzie drive and aurora road mackenzie said the ministry is now confident the highway has the capacity it needs for several years widening should make a dif ference he concluded but at the same time what sort of growth are you seeing in some of the communities alongside the highway calculating the time saved for the average commuter especial ly before new traffic counts are taken is like trying to nail jello to a tree mackenzie suggested the extra lanes between major mackenzie and aurora road opened bit by bit over the course of the fall the projects scheduled completion date finishing up at the cn rail crossing near bloomington road will restrict travel to two lanes each way for about three weeks this spring or summer widening over the crossing is the most difficult part of the project and construction was not all finished in time mackenzie said we did some temporary work to take it through the winter with all lanes open theres no word on a pro posed further extension of the highway to ravenshoe road in georgina which is still under study by the ministry of the envi ronment we can never love your mom as muck as you do but we can offer her great care come discover our unique asssisted living services in markkam an independent catholic school v advanced academic program v positive learning environment i low student teacher ratio v entrance exam required y dedicated faculty comprehensive intramural athletic program campus set with the natural beauty of the oak ridges moraine at marylake st thomas of villanova is a private catholic coeducational school located within the 800 acres of marylake monastery in king city we will be offering a limited number of places to students in grade seven to university entrance for the 20022003 school year entrance exam saturday february 2 2002 at 10 am to register for entrance exam please call 4164101254 photo courtesyministry of transportation construction of additional lanes on hwy 404 is shown near bldomington road last fall a new section from davis drive to green lane could open this month feds expected to chip in for transit from page 1 the total net capital investment for the region ranges from 42 billion to 53 billion he said that amounts to 140 million to 180 million a year and would require a 1percent increase in funding each year over 30 years he said the region is banking on partnerships to help fund its goals those may include publicprivate partner ships the region has called for expressions of interest from companies as it examines the viabili ty of forming a consor tium to design build and operate rapid transit sys tems on heavily travelled corridors such as yonge street and hwy 7 a short list of bidders was to have been selected last week the province has come on board with its decision to reassume full funding for go transit thats 117 million york region can now devote to its transit needs meanwhile the feder al government appears ready to step up as well finance minister paul martin alluded to fund ing opportunities in his last budget and on thursday indicated infrastructure funds will be made available to municipalities for transit investment even though were going to put these huge projects into place over the next five 10 15 yearsit wont have a dra matic monetary impact on taxpayers fisch said the master plan reviewed wednesday rec ommends significant increases in go transit service with a concentration on rail corridors and the construction of as many as 15 train stations the creation of a sophisticated rapid tran sit system to serve com muters in york and improve links with the toronto transit commission express bus lanes on the 400 series of highways toprpmote transit across regional boundaries significant invest ment in major regional see business page 5 jw mmmaga hardwood flooring ltd we are proud to announce the opening of our new largelt location 70 newkirk road unit 1 richmond hill just north of centre st full range of prefinished and unfinished products at very competitive prices plank parquet and much more bruce hanhwodflocrs mi g e chr itamjwooofi ntaee specializing in sales and installation of hardwood flooring and flooring supplies expert sanding and refinishing iib crosby ave go i istaitthli dumaca iukdwo0o fuxmungltdl g centrest major mackenzie or 70 newkirk rd unit 1 richmond hill 1 9057761900 toll free l800 visit our showroom mohifri 8am5pm i sat 8amlpm