The entrance into the future Steeles West Station from the TTC bus terminal on the south side of Steeles Avenue West — as you would see it from York University.

The TTC invites you to drop by an open house next Wednesday, March 9, so you can look over the (probably) final designs for the future Steeles West Station.

The new station is an important part of the TTC and City of Toronto project to extend the Spadina leg of the 1 Yonge - University - Spadina subway northwest from Downsview Station to York University and the Vaughan Corporate Centre. The station lies on the north west edge of York’s Keele Campus at the corner of Steeles Avenue West and North-West Gate. TTC buses would operate to and from a terminal on the south side of Steeles West, while York Region Transit buses would operate to and from a terminal on the north side.

Transit Toronto readers with long memories may remember that the TTC hosted earlier public open houses on a completely different design for the station on Wednesday, February 3, Wednesday, March 10 and Wednesday, April 28, 2010 — but with a completely different design.

Since submitting the original design, TTC staff identified property constraints on the north side of Steeles Avenue that required the TTC to relocate the station’s main entrance, reconfigure its north end and the York Region Bus Terminal, relocate the TTC traction power substation to grade level and redesign the light cone. To improve how TTC buses operate to and from the station terminal, the TTC also added a new east-west road linking Northwest Gate to Track & Field and another bus driveway from Northwest Gate to the north end of the bus terminal to the plan. It also redesigned the two entrances on Steeles Avenue.

The TTC awarded a contract for designing the station to The Spadina Group Associates design team, including Richard Stevens Architects and Will Alsop. (Torontonians probably know Alsop best known for designing the recent addition to the (OCAD) University.) The team is also designing the future Finch West Station two stops further south along the new subway line.

The open house takes place from 2 until 6:30 p.m. at:

CIBC Lobby,
Accolade East Building,
York Univeristy, Keele Campus

Getting there by public transit:

• TTC’s 41 Keele, 60B Steeles West, 106 York University, 107 Keele North or 196 York University rocket routes to the Harry W. Arthurs Common on the Keele Campus.
• Brampton Transit’s 501 Züm Queen buses to Ian Macdonald and York Boulevards.
• York Region Transit’s Viva orange, Viva purple, 3 Thornhill - York U, 10 York U - Woodbridge and 20 Jane - Concord buses to Ian Macdonald and York Boulevards.

The entrance into Steeles West from the north side of Steeles Avenue West, with the YRT bus terminal behind.