Maystar General Contractors’ Post

This photo was taken in 1919, most people and Torontoni know this area very well as you drive on Don Valley Parkway (DVP) these day. You can see how wide was the Don River and extended land surrounding the river and in background you can see the Bloor viaducts bridge under construction. The first two arches were converted to DVP highway and we drives underneath everyday as you head south or North from/To Toronto. This is one one of reasons we as humans were messing up with nature. We converted rivers and shore lines to accommodate infrastructure that shouldn’t be there in first place. That one of reason we reduced Don river to a thin strip that overflow water due to heavy rain no where to go. City planning should encourage integration with nature environment and not destroying it. It is time for more public transportation and smart integration with environment.

King's Cross N1C and St Pancras Stations, and the area around them, have seen a transformational change over the last two decades, driven by the programme of enhancements to rail and underground services serving the two termini, the redevelopment of the stations and the regeneration of the brownfield land north of King’s Cross. That is according to a new evaluation of the impact of the transport investment and regeneration of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations between 1996 and 2020, in a report by the Department for Transport and produced by Steer, which was released last week. #railnews #railways #ukrail #rail 

Ever wondered what our maintenance team do? Check out the video below to see their work in action! If you're interested in exploring opportunities at Downer, send me a DM to discuss.

Members of the #Skye and #Raasay Area Committee today (Monday 12 February) agreed a list of prioritised programme of works for structural overlay/inlay works and surface dressing schemes which will be funded out of the Capital Budget allocation for 2024/25. The actual 2024/25 capital roads budget allocation for Skye and Raasay is still to be finalised but based on previous financial years and analysis of road condition survey results it is expected to be £516,353 in total, consisting of £296,341 for overlay/inlay works and £220,012 towards surface dressing schemes. Skye and Raasay Area Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “It is important that as a Committee, we take every opportunity to communicate the real scale of the financial challenges before us. We know the roads budget falls short of the funding needed to do everything we want with the added challenges being faced with regard to the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit Skye annually, but by agreeing the capital roads’ priorities for 2024/25 it helps raise awareness of what requires to be prioritised based on the road condition survey results and with the funding available, it also allows forward planning for the roads team who work tirelessly and resourcefully to do the best they can with the resources available.” Cllr Finlayson added: “On behalf of the Committee I would like to thank our roads operations teams who have been working tirelessly during the recent challenging adverse weather conditions to clear the snow, ice, and debris from our roads. They have been committed to keeping communities connected and worked hard to keep our routes open.” Works for the Skye and Raasay area are identified based on a prioritised ranking. The ranking is informed by: • Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS) data; safety inspections; • service inspections; and • input and feedback from Ward Members The list of prioritised projects approved along with the report presented to the committee is available from the Council’s website - https://lnkd.in/e2AAtQzj Should the approved 2024/25 budget differ from previous budgets then the programme will be adjusted appropriately.

engineering is beautiful

Fantastic Tunnel Hole-though!! Such precision hole-through in tunneling can only be achieved by experienced tunnel alignment surveying crew and TBM operators.

I had the pleasure of presenting at the BC Land Summit last month in Nanaimo with an esteemed panel of planning practitioners and legal experts as part of the Planning & Housing Solutions Workshop organized by the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC). I spoke specifically about the transportation considerations of the recent provincial housing legislation, namely 2024 Bill 16 and 2023 Bills 44 and 47. Some of my key takeaways: • The province is providing new powers for local governments to better mitigate the transportation impacts of growth, namely through the new ability to require the provision of transportation demand management (TDM) measures and the expanded ability to secure additional off-site sustainable transportation amenities and infrastructure as part of new development during the building permit stage • Elimination of minimum off-street vehicle parking requirements doesn’t mean developers will stop providing parking! It just provides them with more flexibility to develop customized parking ratios that meets the particular needs of their development projects • The greater reliance on applicants to determine appropriate vehicle parking supply for new developments means local governments should be more proactive about managing public parking supplies, particularly as it relates to curbside/on-street parking • An increased reliance on transportation demand management will require managing more partnerships for both local governments and applicants, such as with transit agencies and shared mobility providers • The more complex regulatory environment will require more proactive and integrated planning among Planning and Engineering/Transportation Departments in local government to achieve land use and transportation objectives I’ve made my slides publicly available as a resource and you can find them here: https://lnkd.in/gwGQWWU3 If you'd like a presentation for your local government staff and what the new provincial government requirements and municipal powers may mean for your community in terms of transportation planning and engineering – don't hesitate to give me a shout! #2024BCLandSummit #PIBC #Transportation #TransportationPlanning #TransportationEngineering

PROPOSED CYCLE LANE FOR ABERDEEN CITY CENTRE. It’s been proposed that a cycle lane could be built from Westhill into Aberdeen city centre, sounds good until you get into the detail. Firstly, a Dutch-style roundabout is proposed. This would mean cyclists have their own lanes that are typically physically separated from other vehicles. But, the plans do not stop there. It also would involve narrowing roads, more bus lanes, changing roundabouts, and restricting city centre parking, which would include Carden Place, Skene Street, and Rosemount Viaduct. I will need a lot of convincing to think that this move is a good step for Aberdeen. It seems to me that lessons learned from the LEZ and bus Lanes are that traffic restrictions mean fewer people coming into the city centre to spend money in local businesses, instead, they drive to Aberdeenshire to spend money in towns not restricting free movement. What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment below.  #Aberdeen #Cyclelanes #LEZ #Buslanes

There is an increasing focus on the Pasig River rehabilitation. Executive Order 35 signed by PBBM on 25 July, 2023 moved the authority and responsibility of improving the quality of the river to the Department of Human Services and Urban Development (DHSUD). This effectivly aligns the organization responsible for relocating or bringing into compliance communities that have a negative impact of the ecosystem. let's support the drive to making clean water a priority now, and for the future... https://lnkd.in/gXF3B_y5

Understanding the different road categories is key for effective traffic management planning & implementation. CATERGORY 1 roads are typically urban or low-volume rural roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or less. These roads may be sealed or unsealed, with or without a centerline, and often consist of a single lane in each direction, occasionally with an overtaking lane. CATERGORY 2 roads handle higher traffic volumes, excluding freeways. These roads often feature signalised intersections, multiple lanes, or divided carriageways, and include major urban roads and complex areas like two-lane roundabouts. CATERGORY 3 roads are high-speed, multi-lane freeways with divided carriageways, including on-ramps and off-ramps, built to manage significant traffic flow efficiently. Below is a link to the ‘Traffic Management Road Catergory’ map provided by Transport Victoria. https://lnkd.in/g4sEkUe4 #BarleysTM #TrafficManagement #TrafficControl #AGTTM