Northland Paving Toronto Blogs

Commercial Archives - Northland Paving

April 8, 2016
1

Crash Walls

By | Northland, Commercial | One Comment
crashwall northland paving

Crash Wall on Bullock Drive, Markham, ON.

Crash walls are required to be installed in most new developments today in Ontario that are adjacent to a railway corridor.  These large concrete barriers are required for protection during a train derailment.  The management of sound and vibration are other issues addressed by the installation.

Expansion of Railway Corridors in Urban Areas

As our cities expand, more railway corridors are becoming a development reality. Crash walls are required for commercial, industrial, and residential land use. Concrete crash walls require specialized experience and engineering. Each project is inspected for site-specific constraints and safety concerns.

Regulatory Changes and Guidelines

Significant changes have been made in recent years to federal legislation and some provincial land use acts. In 2013, the original guidelines for the development of industrial, commercial, and residential lands were reviewed and updated by a joint collaboration of the railways, municipalities, and government.

The Guidelines for New Development in Proximity to Railway Operations also include the recommended building setbacks for new residential development near railway operations.

Expertise in Concrete Wall Construction

The process of building these large concrete walls is highly intricate.  Northland Paving is experienced in building strong and stable concrete crash walls.  Northland will also navigate all of the necessary steps in permit coordination, inspections, testing and gaining access to rail properties.

May 6, 2014
11

Driveway Permits in Toronto?

By | Asphalt, Commercial, Consumer Protection, Interlock, Residential | No Comments

Driveway Permit in Toronto

Do you need a Driveway Permit in Toronto to re-pave an existing driveway ?  The answer is yes.

The Toronto By-law states that you must obtain a Driveway Permit and you must only hire a paving contractor licensed to work in the City of Toronto.

The process for obtaining a permit varies depending upon which part of the City you reside.  What dictates an acceptable driveway also varies depending upon where you live.

Toronto is one of the only Cities who require a Paving Permit to replace an existing driveway.  Cities usually only require a permit if a brand new driveway is being installed to service a new dwelling or if an existing driveway is being widened.  Toronto requires a permit for any works done by a paving contractor.

This By-law has been challenged several times by Northland Paving at City Council meetings, with the Mayor, City Council Members and City staff alike.

The enforcement of and the reasoning behind this By-law has been evolving over the years and has not been evenly enforced across the City.

As there are several layers to what seems to be a simple process, “the need for a driveway paving permit” we will explore the topic further in subsequent blogs

 

April 25, 2014
2

Aftermath of Toronto’s Polar Vortex

By | Asphalt, Commercial, Maintenance, Northland, Residential | No Comments

Driveway devastation.

The great ice storm of 2013, frost quakes, polar vortex, wind chill factor and frost heaving all are terms we have heard far too long as Toronto strives to recover from the coldest winter on record for the past 20 years.

What is frost heaving and why is it effecting your driveway, patio, sidewalk and steps or retaining wall?

Moisture present in the soil will freeze and swell up.  The deeper the frost goes the further up these surfaces will raise.  Compounding the issue this spring is that the Toronto area experienced an unusually large amount of snow this past winter.  We had a few mild days absorbing the moisture from our melting snow and then got hit again with more cold weather freezing and swelling up the soil below our paved surfaces.

This winter has seen Toronto and its neighbouring Cities increase budgets for road repairs.  Many driveways have cracked due the heaving cycle and others have been damaged as snow ploughs have grabbed and peeled the edge of a swollen driveway.

The worst casualties will come from driveways and parking lots that were teetering on the edge of disrepair.

Northland Paving expects to see many road repairs in the summer of 2014 in the Toronto area.

From an industry perspective, it will be a late start to what will be a very busy 2014 paving season as frost is still present in the ground at this late date.

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