York Region Colored Concrete Utility Poles Case Study

FORM MEETS FUNCTION WITH STRESSCRETE COLORED SPUN CONCRETE UTILITY POLES 

SUMMARY

As part of the larger rapid transit expansion and roadway improvement project, the Highway 7 Boulevard Revitalization involved expanding the roadway to include dedicated transit lanes and improve traffic flow to eliminate roadblocks in the largest city within the Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region. In the course of this project, York Region seized the opportunity to improve the beauty of the corridor through the use of colored concrete utility poles over the standard gray.

THE CHALLENGE

The Highway 7 corridor is a main roadway through the City of Markham, which is the largest municipality in York Region. The expansion project involved widening the road to accommodate the addition of dedicated lanes for transit, as well as additional lanes for overall traffic flow; however, York Region wanted the revitalized Highway 7 boulevard to also be an aesthetically pleasing cityscape and maintain balance with the streetlight poles. THE SOLUTION Markham is the fourth largest municipality in the Greater Toronto Area and the largest in York Region, with a thriving business community, amazing architecture, and motivated Council Members looking to improve the quality of life within the city, adapt to the changing traffic patterns, and prepare for the future, all while also wanting to enhance the aesthetic of the city to show off all it has to offer. StressCrete Ltd., a division of StressCrete Group, in partnership with PowerStream Energy Services (now called Alectra) and York Region, addressed the utility distribution component of the expansion project. The project specified the installation of over 200 colored utility poles, alongside an additional 100 traditional gray utility poles, along the Highway 7 corridor.

THE RESULTS

York Region’s investment into their utility infrastructure elevated the aesthetics of one of the city’s main arterial roadways without compromising any functionality for PowerStream, the utility provider for the city. The use of colored concrete utility poles provided an elegant solution to balance the functional requirements of the utility and the aesthetic desires of the city. In a truly win-win situation, all parties involved did not have to compromise to get to this solution. Like all StressCrete spun concrete poles, the colored utility poles provided PowerStream with increased reliability, high strength and durability, and cost savings due to long, maintenance free service life and lifetime warranty. And because StressCrete colored utility poles use a colored aggregate instead of a coating, the color is embedded into the pole and therefore the aesthetic appeal will last the life of the pole.

HIGHLIGHTS

Product Details: 

• 200+ colored utility poles; plus 100 standard gray utility poles. 
• Pole lengths ranging from 55’ to 95’ overall length, direct buried. 
• Pole classes from H to M. 
• Colored poles in Midnight Lace with etched finish and acrylic coating. 

Utility Benefits: 

• Increased durability with minimal vibration, deflection and distortion including twisting. 
• High strength and high density concrete due to the spinning process. 
• Cost effective due to long service life, maintenance free, and lifetime warranty. 

Community Benefits: 

• Aesthetically pleasing. 
• Design that more closely matches decorative roadway poles across streetscape. 
• Embedded color to ensure visual appeal will not change over time.