Planning began in 1954, the year of Metro's formation. The first section opened during 1961 and the entire route was completed by the end of 1966. South of Bloor Street, the expressway was constructed over existing roadways. North of Bloor Street, it was built on a new alignment through the valley, requiring the removal of several hills, diversion of the Don River and the clearing of woodland. North of Eglinton Avenue, the expressway follows the former Woodbine Avenue right-of-way north to Highway 401. Traffic conditions on the parkway often exceed its intended capacity of 60,000 vehicles per day. Today, some sections carry an average of 100,000 vehicles a day and have bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions during commuting hours.
Introduction
Don Valley Parkway
Don Valley Parkway | Introduction
1966 Fall of 1955 By the end of 1966 1966
what is don valley parkway?
user
It is a municipal expressway.
assistant
has it been represented in media?
user
Yes, the music video for the song Subdivisions by Canadian rock group Rush features scenes of the DVP
assistant
when was the construction completed?
user
The music video for the song Subdivisions by Canadian rock group Rush features scenes of the DVP The song "DVP" by punk rock group PUP is named after the Don Valley Parkway, and its lyrics include references to the parkway.
Don Valley Parkway | In popular culture
The Association promoted conservation of the valley with rail tours and public events. In 1951, the Ontario Department of Planning and Development released its "Don Valley Conservation Report", which recommended the preservation of the valley, including an artificial reservoir where Lawrence Avenue crossed the Don River. It also proposed that the valley not be used for any new major transportation routes. The DVCA adopted the report and budgeted to buy lands in the valley, but the City of Toronto withheld funding to the DVCA for land purchases. In April 1953, the Metropolitan Toronto (Metro) federation was approved and Fred Gardiner was named as its first chairman.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
The design of the project was contracted to the engineering consortium of Fenco-Harris, which completed the plans in the fall of 1955. The project included extending Bayview Avenue south along the Lower Don valley, which replaced the 'north' arm of the previous Don Valley roadway project, and the realignment of Lawrence Avenue over the East Don River. The design for the section north of the Don River mouth incorporated the existing river-side Don Roadway on the east side of the River. The design also incorporated a section of the old Don Mills Road leading up from the River, north of Gerrard, to Broadview Avenue and Danforth Avenue into the highway as a northbound on-ramp from Danforth.
Don Valley Parkway | Construction
To facilitate the Flemingdon Park development, located south-east of Don Mills Road and Eglinton, the entire planned route south of Lawrence to the present interchange at Don Mills Road was moved east to its current alignment. The plan, estimated to cost C$28.674 million, was approved by Metro Council in early 1956. Formal approval to build came in 1958 and construction of the parkway began. A stumbling block to construction was resolved by a deal between Metro and the City of Toronto over City-owned parklands needed for the parkway. North of Bloor Street, of City-owned land would be transferred to Metro and any lands not needed for the parkway would be developed as parks by Metro.
Don Valley Parkway | Construction
North of Bloor Street, the wide valley floor became dominated by industrial concerns of the Taylor family, including the Don Valley Brick Works. The area from the Forks of the Don and north along the river valleys had been lumbered and farmed, such as at Milne Hollow, but several natural areas remained by the 1950s. The forests of the Don valley had been where Canadian naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton spent much of his youth in the 1870s studying animal life. The Don Valley Parkway was not the first highway planned through the valley. In the 1930s, a "speedway" through the lower valley was promoted as possible depression relief.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
Its mission from the start was to build the infrastructure needed to support the rapidly growing suburbs, whose governments could not afford the projects and often disagreed on joint projects. One of its first priorities was to build the Lakeshore Expressway, and its second road priority was an expressway through the Don River valley. Gardiner was a major proponent of building a highway through the valley, since his days in the 1940s with the Toronto and York Planning Board. At the time, engineers felt that building a six-lane roadway was unfeasible due to the two large hills and a narrow valley.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
The first Metro staff survey and feasibility study of the parkway's route was approved in late 1953, before the Metro government itself came into being in 1954.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
Two proposals were put forward for approval: the Leslie Street extension and widening of Don Mills Road. Don Mills Road was widened from four to six lanes with the new lanes to be high occupancy/bus lanes. The Leslie Street extension was approved by East York and North York, but was abandoned by Metro Council in 1993, after the provincial government refused to subsidize its construction.
Don Valley Parkway | Since completion
Unlike today's parkway, this road would have curved northwest near the Don Valley Brick Works and connected to Mount Pleasant at Davisville. The city did not have the money and appealed to 'civic-minded citizens' to donate the land on which the highway would be built. None came forward. In 1939, city transportation planner Norman Wilson proposed a boulevard that would follow the valley into the northeast. On January 1, 1946, Toronto voters approved the building of a 'Don Valley Traffic Artery' following the same route as the "speedway" by a vote of 31,882 to 12,328. This was the same plebiscite where Toronto voters approved the construction of the Yonge segment of Line 1.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
The new partial-access interchange was paid for by the developers. The ramp connecting Wynford with the northbound parkway required a tunnel under the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Midtown railway lines. To avoid delaying trains on the vital freight line, a prefabricated concrete arch was jacked into the embankment, at a time, over 12 days. This was the first North American use of such a technique. From 1986 to 1988, the City studied traffic congestion in the 'Don Valley Corridor', an area from Leslie Street east to Victoria Park Avenue. To improve traffic in the area, the proposed solutions were extending Leslie Street south of Eglinton Avenue and south-west to Bayview Avenue; widening Don Mills Road; and expanding the parkway.
Don Valley Parkway | Since completion
The City then borrowed $1.5 million to finance the project. In 1949, the Official Plan of the City of Toronto updated the Don Valley Roadway plan to include two branches—one to the north-west which would eventually become the Crosstown Expressway proposal, and one to the north-east leading to O'Connor Drive. The original plan to connect to St. Clair remained. East York Township opposed construction of the north-east roadway. The City started the first section of this route from Eastern Avenue south to Keating Street in 1949, but had to suspend work in 1951 due to a lack of steel. Recognizing the value of the natural spaces of the valley, conservationists such as Charles Sauriol founded the Don Valley Conservation Association, in 1948 to assist the provincial Don Valley Conservation Authority (DVCA) itself founded in 1946.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
South of Bloor Street, Metro agreed to replace any recreation facilities lost in Riverdale Park due to the parkway construction. The City had threatened to not allow construction through City-owned land.
Don Valley Parkway | Construction
Planning began in 1954, the year of Metro's formation. The first section opened during 1961 and the entire route was completed by the end of 1966. South of Bloor Street, the expressway was constructed over existing roadways. North of Bloor Street, it was built on a new alignment through the valley, requiring the removal of several hills, diversion of the Don River and the clearing of woodland. North of Eglinton Avenue, the expressway follows the former Woodbine Avenue right-of-way north to Highway 401. Traffic conditions on the parkway often exceed its intended capacity of 60,000 vehicles per day. Today, some sections carry an average of 100,000 vehicles a day and have bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions during commuting hours.
Don Valley Parkway | Introduction
Since completion, the parkway has not been changed significantly, other than adding one partial interchange at Wynford Drive and updating its infrastructure to current standards.
Don Valley Parkway | History
The construction of the Don Valley Parkway was a major undertaking that changed much of the Don valley. While industrial areas existed both near the mouth of the Don River and the area of today's Leaside Bridge, several natural areas remained in those places where the steep sides of the valley had dissuaded large-scale urban development. The post-war growth period of Toronto provided an impetus to build a new automobile route into central Toronto, and the route through the valley was chosen to avoid expropriation of existing development and provide access for new development in the Metropolitan Toronto region. The construction of the six-lane highway modified the valley through the removal of hills, other earth works and the rerouting of the Don River.
Don Valley Parkway | History
The Don River valley, formed during the last ice age, has played an important role in the development of Toronto from its beginning as the Town of York. Using the power of the river, the first sawmill was erected at today's Todmorden Mills by 1795 and other industry was founded soon after, including a grist mill, paper mill and brewery by 1828. Railways were introduced into the valley after 1850 with the building of tracks into Toronto. By 1900, the Don River south of today's Bloor Street was straightened into a channel for boating purposes, with roadways and industry built on both banks.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which connects the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404. The parkway runs through the parklands of the Don River Valley, after which it is named. It has a maximum speed limit of for its entire length of . It is six lanes for most of its length but it is eight lanes north of York Mills and four lanes south of Eastern. As a municipal road, it is patrolled by the Toronto Police Service. The parkway was the second expressway to be built by Metropolitan Toronto (Metro).
Don Valley Parkway | Introduction
Today, the RESCU Traffic Management System monitors the highway and can call for emergency help. On April 18, 1969, the slope behind Davies Crescent (just west of Don Mills Road) gave way after heavy rain, covering the northbound lanes and part of the southbound lanes with up to of mud. There were only minor injuries. The slope, which had had its trees removed for the building of the expressway, was covered with sod and stakes to hold the soil. In the late 1980s, a new partial-access interchange was built at Wynford Drive to provide access between the parkway and the Concorde Place development.
Don Valley Parkway | Since completion
Gardiner and T&Y Board (and later Metro Planning Board) chairman James Maher personally walked the route through the valley, determining the works that would be needed to put the highway through. "We'll move the railway over a piece. We'll tear down the hill. We'll shift the river over a piece, then we can have the highway through there." Gardiner toured New York City in June 1954 to study the city's expressways and municipal parking lots. Gardiner compared the proposed Don Valley expressway to the scenic Grand Central Parkway, and was quoted as claiming that valleys like the Don are not spoiled by arterial highways, but beautified by them.
Don Valley Parkway | Conditions before construction
The project was designed to carry 60,000 vehicles per day. Fenco-Harris designed the route to be "located on public lands as much as possible, thus minimizing the expropriation of private property. Greenbelt land has been used for right-of-way in preference to acreage which can be commercially developed." The route required the expropriation of less than 25 properties. The first planned route of the parkway was to follow the lower Don Valley before turning north and continuing along the Don Mills Road right-of-way north to the Toronto Bypass (today's Highway 401). Edward P. Taylor, developer of the Don Mills subdivision, situated at Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue, protested the plan heavily and the path was rerouted along the CPR railway from Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue north-east to meet the Woodbine Avenue right-of-way at Lawrence Avenue, and proceeded north to the Toronto Bypass.
Don Valley Parkway | Construction
As the Greater Toronto Area grew in population after World War II, the Province of Ontario set up a special regional government in Toronto known as Metropolitan Toronto to build and manage the infrastructure for the growing suburbs. One of Metro's priority projects upon its founding in 1954, was the construction of the Don Valley Parkway expressway from downtown Toronto to the Ontario Highway 401. The route chosen followed the lower Don valley to the forks of the Don River, then proceeded north along the 'right-of-way' assigned to Woodbine Avenue in the grid layout of Toronto. This crossed the valley of the East Don at Lawrence, which was a dirt road at the time.
Milne Hollow | Don Valley Parkway project
In 1965, Metro Toronto Chief Coroner Morton Shulman released a report criticizing the lack of safety in the design of the parkway. In the first five months of 1965, there were 136 accidents on the parkway, with four deaths and 86 injuries. Among the "death-dealing" deficiencies that had to be corrected were inadequate guardrails, exposed steep slopes and light standards that were exposed to collision from passing high-speed traffic. Call boxes with emergency telephones were installed on the parkway in 1966. The boxes, attached to street lighting on the right shoulder, provided a direct line for help from the Ontario Motor League, now part of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).
Don Valley Parkway | Since completion
In 1959, the DOH announced that they would construct and maintain the new route once the DVP was completed to Highway 401 and designate it Highway 404. The proposed route of the freeway was presented at a special delegation on 13 December 1960 by Harold Barry, a representative of the department. Design work started in 1973, and construction began following the awarding of a C$6.9 million contract in March 1976. This contract included construction of the Finch Avenue interchange, overpasses at McNicoll and Van Horne Avenues and of six-lane freeway between Sheppard and Steeles Avenues. Shortly thereafter, on 20 April, Ernest Avenue and Van Horne Avenue were closed to traffic at Woodbine.
Ontario Highway 404 | Initial construction
As part of Metro's road-building project, Lawrence was expanded to a six-lane arterial road through Milne Hollow. A cloverleaf-style interchange with the DVP was constructed, the interchange necessitating the removal of the rest of the Milne buildings except for a house on the east bank of the river, south-east of the interchange. The East Don also crossed Lawrence at the same point as the interchange, and roadways were built around the existing path of the river. The river channel was itself 'channelized' using concrete and fill for flood control through the interchange. The river channel south-east of the parkway was mostly preserved, except for the use of concrete fill to curb erosion.
Milne Hollow | Don Valley Parkway project
Last-ditch efforts by opponents, including occupying the valley, lawsuits and blocking construction access, failed and the expressway was finally constructed in the 2000s, opening to traffic in 2007. The cost to the city included $100 million in construction costs, plus legal costs fighting to get the expressway constructed. The city fought the provincial government once and the federal government twice to build the project. As of November 2009, a $75 million lawsuit is still pending with the federal government.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Introduction
The parkway was planned to be one of two north–south expressways into downtown Toronto. The other was cancelled due to public opposition, leaving the DVP as the sole north–south expressway into downtown. The parkway is also used by regional transit buses which can access designated lanes to pass slow-moving traffic. Locals refer to the parkway as the "Don Valley Parking Lot" due to the bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Don Valley Parkway | Introduction
The Don Valley Parkway begins at an interchange with the Gardiner Expressway near the mouth of the Don River in downtown Toronto. From there, it runs northwards on the eastern bank of the valley, between the river and the developed city to the east. Beyond the southern, older section of the city, the valley widens and the expressway continues northwards through the parklands along the river to Don Mills Road. The route leaves the valley, rises to meet Eglinton Avenue, descends into the valley again and goes through the park lands of Milne Hollow to Lawrence Avenue. It ascends to meet York Mills Road and ends at Highway 401.
Don Valley Parkway | Route description
Construction restarted in earnest with grading contracts in 2004. The squatters were removed, and full-time security guards patrolled the site during construction. The expressway unofficially opened on November 3, 2007. The opening was accompanied by the Road to Hope race run by 150 people. The parkway was originally scheduled to be officially opened to vehicular traffic on November 16, 2007 but the date was postponed to November 17, 2007. The final estimate of construction cost was $245 million for the long expressway. $120 million of the cost was paid for by the provincial government. In 2016, the existing ramps from the Red Hill Valley Parkway to Stone Church Road were incorporated into the new Upper Red Hill Valley Parkway, an arterial road extension to link to the parkway from Trinity Church Road and the Red Hill Business Park.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Construction
The Save the Valley organization and the HRCA appealed to the provincial government, hoping for a cancellation like the Spadina Expressway in Toronto, but the appeal was rejected in 1987. Construction began in 1990, but was stopped by the election of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) government of Bob Rae. NDP MPPs had won all six ridings in the Hamilton area and had opposed the project as a matter of party policy. The Rae government withdrew funding for the project. Construction on both the King Street East and Queenston Road replacement bridges had already been completed. Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Council started a legal action in 1991 to get the funding reinstated, but was unsuccessful.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Controversy
Construction on the two lane section between 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive, connecting with the north end of the Old Markham Bypass, began in 2002, and was completed by the end of 2004. Phase 2, which included construction of a partial interchange with Highway 407, began in 2004 and was completed by the end of the year; it and the four lane section north of it to Highway 7 opened on December 17, 2004. In 2005, construction began on the third phase of the bypass, connecting the southern segment at Highway 7 with the northern segment north of 16th Avenue.
Donald Cousens Parkway | Construction
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a controlled-access six-lane expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, the expressway continues as Highway 404 to Newmarket. The parkway runs through the parklands of the Don River valley, after which it is named. It is patrolled by the Toronto Police Service, has a maximum speed limit of and is in length. The parkway was the second expressway to be built by Metropolitan Toronto (Metro). Planning for it began in 1954, the year of Metro's formation; the first section opened in 1961 and the entire route was completed by the end of 1966.
List of north–south roads in Toronto | Don Valley Parkway
The DVCA also proposed a halt on transportation uses in the valley. Funding was not approved for the project and the land was eventually used for the Don Valley Parkway project. In conjunction with the formation of the conservation authorities, volunteer organizations sprang up to assist the conservation authorities in their missions. In Toronto, the Don Valley Conservation Association was established in 1946 by Roy Cadwell, Rand Freeland and Charles Sauriol to protect the lands of the Don River valley from a proposed development. The Association went on to other activities, including tree plantings, wild flower and tree preservation and advocacy.
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority | History
The project is managed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Waterfront Toronto. The ramps between the parkway and the Gardiner Expressway pass directly over the Don River channel. A third project, the "Don River Valley Park" to link all of the open space from the Toronto Brick Works south to the harbour, has proposed changes that will impact the highway. The first is the replacement of the current Bayview–Bloor interchange roadways to free up green space. The second is the relocation of rail lines on the west bank of the Don River to the east bank. A third is a new land bridge over the highway joining the two sections of Riverdale Park.
Don Valley Parkway | Future
The northern section of this extension was routed alongside Pottery Road to Nesbitt Drive. South of this, it wraps around a hill and descends into the Lower Don Valley, travelling parallel to the route of the Don Valley Parkway. This addition is frequently referred to as the Bayview Extension. It was constructed as part of the Don Valley Parkway project, and necessitated the removal of "Sugarloaf Hill" directly north of the Bloor Street Viaduct. The extension fulfilled the "central spoke" in the building of the "Don Valley Roadway" as proposed in the 1940s. A route through the ravine to St.
Bayview Avenue | History
Construction on the extension began in 2018.
Jimmy DeLoach Parkway | History
The Parkway passes beneath Dundas and Gerrard Streets and rises onto the 'Don Flats' plateau at Riverdale Park. In this section, the elevation of the highway is close to the level of the river and is liable to flood after heavy rains, as occurred in June 2010, for example.
Don Valley Parkway | South of the Forks
Congestion in the northbound lanes is attributed to truck traffic coping with the steep grade of the valley, lane changing, and insufficient advanced signage for Highway 401. Most traffic in this section travels north on Highway 404, but only two of the five lanes lead to it.
Don Valley Parkway | Traffic congestion
Construction started in 1971 and was finished in 1978.
Caesar Creek State Park | Introduction
The expressway begins to descend back into the East Don Valley. It passes beneath Wynford Drive and two railways (the CPR Midtown line and the CNR/Richmond Hill GO line) before reaching Lawrence Avenue East, one of the few remaining cloverleaf interchanges in Ontario. This area, known as Milne Hollow, is partially forested, some of the land being conservation reserve. Passing beneath Lawrence and back over the East Don River, the expressway begins climbing out of the valley once more. It reaches the top of the valley and curves along a plateau before passing over York Mills Road. Residential sub-divisions are present along both sides of the road, isolated from the expressway by noise barriers, from north of Lawrence to the Highway 401 interchange.
Don Valley Parkway | North to Highway 401
The interchange is constrained by that distance for the Gardiner—Don Valley two-lane ramps bridge the difference in height from ground-level under the viaduct with the height of the Gardiner. Acceleration and deceleration lanes for the Lake Shore—Don Valley ramps connect under the viaduct. From the viaduct, the parkway proceeds north as a four-lane highway on a straight course along the east bank of the channelized Don River, passing beneath Eastern Avenue and veering slightly to the east as it passes below Queen Street East. On- and off-ramps project northward from Eastern Avenue, each adding a lane to both carriageways. The expressway continues northward, with the Don River sandwiched between the highway and Bayview Avenue.
Don Valley Parkway | South of the Forks
Donald Cousens Parkway will be extended north from Major Mackenzie Drive to tie in with Highway 48, becoming the through-route in the process and completing the Markham Bypass. Poor soil conditions at a planned overpass of the Stouffville GO Train line have required several years of ongoing soil consolidation, beginning in July 2012 and scheduled for completion in the fall of 2017. Construction was set to begin in April 2018, but was later deferred to 2026.
Donald Cousens Parkway | Future
The Don Valley Parkway, along with the Gardiner Expressway, is one of Toronto's busiest municipal routes. It is the sole north–south expressway into Toronto's downtown, a role it was not designed to support. The parkway was planned as one of a series of expressways to provide commuter routes to downtown from the expanding suburbs. Two other un-built expressways were planned: the Scarborough Expressway, expected to handle traffic between downtown and the eastern suburbs, and the Spadina Expressway, expected to serve traffic from the north-west. By the early 1980s, traffic volumes on the parkway exceeded capacity, and today, the parkway has significant traffic congestion on most days.
Don Valley Parkway | Traffic congestion
It was completed in 1848 to designs by George Hudson for the York and North Midland Railway company and built of rusticated grit stone ashlar. The contractor was James Bray.
Crimple Valley Viaduct | Introduction
The construction process began in November 2008, and grand opening of Evergreen Brick Works took place September 28, 2010. The complex is now open to the public, with regular shuttle bus service running daily from Broadview Subway Station. Public transit is also available on Saturdays from Davisville subway station by bus route 28A Bayview South.
Don Valley Brick Works | Future of the Brick Works
Construction was completed in 1936, the year of McMillin's death, and cost $30,000.
Afterglow Vista | Background and construction
At its southern end near the mouth of the Don River, the parkway begins in a multiple-level interchange with the ground-level Lake Shore Boulevard and the elevated Gardiner Expressway directly above the boulevard. The Gardiner–Don Valley ramps provide access to the section of the Gardiner Expressway west of the parkway. There is no access either from or to the Gardiner east of the parkway. To travel east from the southbound lanes of the parkway, motorists must exit via the off-ramp to Lake Shore Boulevard, which meets the Lake Shore at a signalized intersection. Less than north of the Gardiner, the Canadian National Railway (CNR)/GO Toronto railway viaduct passes over the parkway.
Don Valley Parkway | South of the Forks
Funding for the project was listed in the 2017–21 plan draft released in July 2016, which split the remaining work into three phases. MDOT received a federal grant for the project in December 2018, citing at that time a completion date of 2022 or 2023 for the project. Until the freeway is complete, US 31 follows a stretch of Napier Avenue, which was upgraded in conjunction with the St. Joseph Valley Parkway opening to that point, westward to I-94. The US 31/I-94/BL I-94 interchange will be converted to a cloverleaf interchange or partial cloverleaf interchange if a connection is completed in the future.
St. Joseph Valley Parkway | Future
A plan for the expressway was approved by regional council in 1979. The project required approvals from various boards: the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), Ontario Environmental Assessment Board (OEAB), Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) and the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA). The provincial government decided to submit approval for the project to one, larger hearing process, called the 'Consolidated Joint Board' which had two OMB officials and one OEAB official. 99 days of hearing were held in 1984. The OEAB, NEC and HRCA all opposed the project. Against the wishes of those agencies, and a group called "Save the Valley", the board approved the project 2-1, with the OEAB representative dissenting, in October 1985.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Controversy
Mountain View Corridor is currently entirely in Stage 1 of the construction plan. The entire roadway that is currently built extends from Redwood Road (SR-68) to 4100 South. The section between 5400 South and 4100 South opened on November 18, 2017 at 3:00 pm. Opening celebrations included a fun run, an ugly sweater competition, and ceremonies where the Mayor of West Valley City spoke. Mountain View Corridor is expected to be completed up to SR-201 to be completed by the end of 2020. It is currently unknown as to when it will be completed up to Interstate 80.
Mountain View Corridor | Current progress
Completion was set for 1964, and the reconstruction and repaving was finished on November 18, 1964.
Meadowbrook State Parkway | Extension to the Northern State Parkway
Former Toronto mayor David Crombie was appointed by the Rae government to mediate the dispute. Crombie produced a plan without an expressway, instead proposing the construction and expansion of arterial roads on either side of the valley. The compromise was rejected by regional council in 1994. In 1995, the Progressive Conservatives led by Mike Harris won the provincial election. The Harris government restored funding to the RHVP project.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Controversy
Construction was completed in the Summer of 2006, with the highway fully widened and drainage projects along the route completed.
Wolf Creek Pass | Expansion
By 1966, rush hour traffic and accidents in the Jameson area meant that the Jameson westbound on-ramp was closed permanently during rush hours. That same year, after criticism of the safety of the expressway by Toronto coroner Morton Shulman, Metro started installing guardrails on the full length of the Gardiner and Don Valley expressways.
Gardiner Expressway | From completion to the present
The province agreed to split the cost for the east–west portion of the planned expressway, but opposed the north–south link. Nevertheless, construction continued throughout the mid-1990s, and the expressway opened on October 15, 1997, just over a decade before the controversial Red Hill Valley Parkway, which opened on November 17, 2007. The speed limit along the parkway is .
Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway | Introduction
In 2006, Don Mills Centre was demolished to make way for Shops at Don Mills, a large shopping centre. The shopping centre opened in April 2009. At Wynford Drive and the Don Valley Parkway, a new $300 million cultural project was built on of land. The project, whose foundation was laid on May 28, 2010 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and His Highness the Aga Khan, is designed by award-winning architects: India-based Charles Correa, Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, Lebanese landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic and the Toronto-based Moriyama & Teshima Architects. The project was completed in 2014, with the opening of the Ismaili Centre, the Aga Khan Museum and a public park.
Don Mills | Recent history (2000–present)
Construction works began in January 1982, and were completed in September 1997.
Torrens Linear Park | History
At various times numerous station locations have been considered along the route: It is hoped that some of these can be incorporated into the planned services.
Don Valley Railway | Proposed stations
During the 1920s, as the new communities surrounding Toronto grew rapidly, several bridges were constructed to overcome the barrier of the Don Valley. Among these were the Vale of Avoca (St. Clair Avenue east of Yonge Street) and the East York – Leaside Viaduct. The town of Leaside, built by Canadian Northern Railway in the late teens and early 1920s, sought to attract investors and homebuyers. A connection over the Don Valley to the town of Todmorden Mills and on to Toronto would provide this. Sod was turned in mid-December and active construction began in January 1927 under the direction of bridge designer Frank Barber.
Leaside Bridge | History
Phase 1, the site east of Green Valley Ranch and on the west side of Green Valley Parkway opened in April 2004. Phase II, located on the east side of Green Valley Parkway opened with six buildings, of retail shops and of office-over-retail space.
The District at Green Valley Ranch | History
Full construction of the parkway began in 2011, and was completed in November 2015.
Gordie Howe International Bridge | Design
The St. Joseph Valley Parkway name has already been applied to this unbuilt section. MDOT's 2017–21 plan draft released in July 2016 split the remaining work into three phases. The department has listed funding for only the first two of these three phases, and construction is anticipated to start in 2021. On December 6, 2018, MDOT announced that a $20 million discretionary grant had been received to complete the final phase of construction, building the last of freeway required to connect US 31 to I-94.
U.S. Route 31 in Michigan | Completion of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway
This part of the freeway was opened in July 1970. As the freeway was constructed through the valley, it caused a break in many north–south roads. These breaks were located where access to the part of the road on the other side of the freeway was cut off. Plans were put in place to build frontage roads to improve access through the region.
Interstate 8 | Construction
Construction began in 2015, and as of August 2018 the project was complete.
Virginia Avenue Tunnel | Introduction
The expressway crosses Taylor-Massey Creek and the East Don River, and climbs out of the valley, swinging northwards toward Eglinton Avenue. In this section, the DVP passes around the apartment buildings of Flemingdon Park. The lanes split again before the underpass at Spanbridge Road, the road that connects a three-tower complex of apartments to the east of the parkway with Flemingdon Park to the west. The lanes pass beneath the Gatineau Hydro Corridor and reconnect south of the Eglinton interchange. As it crosses Eglinton, the expressway passes a business park to the west and the Concorde Place commercial and condominium development to the east.
Don Valley Parkway | North to Highway 401
In 1974, the expressway was removed from the city and regional governments' official plans. The RHVP project did not remain dead for long. City council voted three further times against the project before voting in favour of a Red Hill Valley route in 1977. The city was planning an east-west expressway in lower Hamilton, which required a subsidy from the provincial government. The provincial government refused to pay the subsidy without the city proposing to build the Red Hill.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Planning
Plan completion was expected in 2016, with design and construction pending.
Bull Creek District Park | Introduction
The project aims to revitalize the ravine space through a series of projects that will advance the priorities set out in the City of Toronto's Lower Don Trail Master Plan, prepared by DTAH. Together with a series accessible new entry points, the Master Plan calls for the reclamation of former green spaces throughout the valley, including the former snow dump site north of the Bloor Viaduct. Naturalized ecological conditions throughout the valley would offer improved flood protection. A "nature-inspired" public art program is set to launch in 2017, aiming to strengthen the cultural presence of the Don Valley, which—according to the Master Plan—already serves as a de facto backyard to some 250,000 Torontonians.
Don River (Ontario) | Wonscotonach Parklands (Don River Valley Park)
After government cancellations and environmental assessments, compromise plans proposed in the 1990s to save the valley were ultimately rejected. The final design incorporated some compromises intended to ameliorate the effect of the expressway on the valley, including reducing the expressway width from six lanes down to four, cleanup of toxic lands along the creek, and creek habitat improvement. The City of Hamilton proceeded with construction in the first decade of the 2000s. Construction was halted several times by protesters occupying the valley and blocking access to construction sites. The City had to complete the project with security firms patrolling the valley.
Red Hill Valley | Expressway
As part of the reconstruction, several bridges constructed between 1965 and 1974 were demolished. They spanned Anthony Henday Drive at Yellowhead Trail, Baseline Road and Sherwood Park Freeway and were removed to make way for updated structures that would allow the freeway underneath to be widened to six lanes and further expanded to eight lanes or more in the future. A bridge built in 1969 carrying Broadmoor Boulevard over Yellowhead Trail was also demolished because it was not at the required elevation for the new interchange configuration. Yellowhead Trail from the North Saskatchewan River to Clover Bar Road was significantly improved and widened, as was Sherwood Park Freeway from 17 Street to Ordze Road/Crescent in Sherwood Park.
Anthony Henday Drive | North construction and completion
It was completed in phases: initially to the new eastward extension of Sandalwood Parkway, later to Mayfield Road and finally to Highway 10 north of Sandalwood. Premier of Ontario Ernie Eves officially announced the extension on June 23, 2003; construction subsequently began on the first phase. On May 15, 2006 construction began on the second phase between Sandalwood Parkway and Mayfield Drive. The first two phases were built by Dufferin Construction and opened together in mid–late 2007; the northbound lanes were opened by the beginning of September and the southbound lanes by the end of the month. Upon its opening, trucks were prohibited from driving along it due to concerns of them travelling on the two lane Mayfield Road; this ban has since been lifted.
Ontario Highway 410 | Extension
The building was completed in May 2013.
Snowhill | Phase 3 – Two Snowhill
The neighbourhood was originally a collection of farming hamlets in the early 19th century. Two historical landmarks still exist from that period: the Zion Schoolhouse and the Alexander Muirhead Victorian farmhouse. The area was developed into a suburban neighbourhood in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1963, Consolidated Building Corporation developed a large part of Don Valley Village, advertising three-bedroom houses for $16,550, and providing a "trade-in" on purchasers' current houses. Major facilities built in the neighbourhood during this period, including the North York General Hospital in 1968.
Don Valley Village | History
Work started in late 2006 for completion by mid 2008.
A5117 road | Current construction
Although Don Valley has minimal development, there is the Don Valley Primary School, an archery park, and is home to a satellite fire station for the "Hillcrest" CFA brigade which serves Woori Yallock, Launching Place and Don Valley after the Launching Place and Woori Yallock brigades amalgamated in December 2007.
Don Valley, Victoria | Introduction
Construction of the route began in 2002 north of 16th Avenue. In 2004, an interchange with Highway 407 was constructed along with a connection north to Highway 7. Both segments and the interchange were opened by December of that year. The following year, construction began to connect these two segments as well as on the Box Grove Bypass along Ninth Line; the former opened in October 2006 and the latter in the spring of 2007. Construction of the most recently opened segment, connecting the Box Grove Bypass to the interchange with Highway 407, began in 2009. It opened after several delays in 2012 and included a realignment of 14th Avenue.
Donald Cousens Parkway | Introduction
Six more miles of frontage road further north are also anticipated to be completed in late 2012. By the end of 2012 a total of fifteen miles of Phase One frontage roads, extending from Porter Rockwell Boulevard north to 5400 South in West Valley City, will be open for use, as well as associated bike lanes and trails. In 2016 the access to 5400 South (SR-173) completed, and construction continued northbound.
Mountain View Corridor | Progress
During the 2010 municipal election, mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson proposed a road toll for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, drawing comments from critics and supporters across the city. Two projects are underway that may change the parkway's southern end. Waterfront Toronto is conducting an environmental assessment to evaluate replacing, modifying or removing the Gardiner Expressway east of Jarvis Street. The parkway would then end at Lake Shore Boulevard. The City of Toronto eventually decided to keep the Gardiner–Don Valley Parkway connection, with revised ramps. A second proposal, known as the "Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection" project, seeks to recreate the natural mouth of the Don River into Toronto Harbour with the surrounding parkland.
Don Valley Parkway | Future
Referred to as the Red Hill Creek Expressway during planning, the expressway was first proposed in the 1950s. Hamilton first voted to put a highway through the valley in 1954. A consultancy hired by the City of Hamilton produced a plan to build an expressway within the valley in 1956. Construction was not approved, and the plan to build an expressway was not revisited until 1963, when Hamilton City Council approved the 'Hamilton Area Transportation Study' which includes the Red Hill Expressway as one of five proposed expressways. The RHVP was added to the city's official plan. Opposition to the project developed during the 1960s and early 1970s.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Planning
It is planned to be designated as SR 1251 until it opens. Construction began in 2018.
Jimmy DeLoach Parkway | Introduction
The project was completed on April 30, 2004.
Valley Generating Station | Description
When the riding was created, it included all of Metro Toronto within the following line: Highway 401 to Leslie Street to the CN Railway to Don Mills Road to the CP Railway to the East Branch of the Don River to East York/North York border the Don Valley Parkway to the Don River to Millwood Road to the CP Railway to the East York/North York border to the Old Toronto city limits to Broadway Avenue to Yonge Street. In 2007 the southern border was altered so that it continues to follow the East Branch of the Don River to the main branch until Pottery Road to Bayview Avenue until the CP railway.
Don Valley West (provincial electoral district) | Boundaries
This process used 8 horses pulling in the front, and another eight at the rear pushing. The fresno crew constructed the level areas. Ditches were constructed on a 7% grade and filled with field rock to help prevent erosion. One of the main problems constructing the highway was the heavy field stone knolls. This highway served until 1949 when it was upgraded. "The upland collection area for the underground streams comes together on top of the valley near Chamberlain. Highway construction surveyors had to curve the right-of-way to avoid this area. Another interesting diversion that the highway surveyors had to make, at the insistence of local residents, was to go around a large stone that had a metal marker spike in it, likely set up and recorded by early explorers.
Saskatchewan Highway 11 | Beginnings
The promotional video scenes were filmed in the Toronto, Ontario area. The downtown scenes were filmed in downtown Toronto, most notably the opening zoom out shot of the intersection of King and Bay St, while the suburbs scenes were filmed in Scarborough, Ontario, near Warden and Finch Avenues. The aerial zoom out is of Sandy Haven Dr in Scarborough at the north east corner of Warden Ave and McNicoll Ave. The high school scenes were filmed at L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute, in the same area. The video also features scenes of the Don Valley Parkway (with a GO train seen crossing in the foreground), Highway 401 (at the 404 interchange), and a busy PATH tunnel.
Subdivisions (song) | Music video
Proposals for a third Don crossing have been made since the 1970s. The city council agreed to begin the project in 2003, and by 2004 decided on a preferred route. Construction began in November 2014 and the completed bridge was opened in June 2016. A worker was killed by an excavator during construction of the Don Crossing on 13 January 2016, an incident that led to Balfour Beatty being fined £600,000.
Diamond Bridge | History
To build the athlete's village in six years, Infrastructure Ontario/Ontario Realty Corporation contracted out the development of the village on a "fixed-price" contract with developer DundeeKilmer for $514 million. This included roadways, a YMCA and George Brown College student residence. The village buildings, encompassing 787 units, were completed in time for the games and individual units will be finished with kitchens and finishings for residents after the games. Two further residential buildings will be constructed by the developer.
West Don Lands | Redevelopment (2001–present)
When Hamilton began construction of the expressway project, opponents began physically obstructing the construction of the project. Access roads were blocked, trees in the path of the roadway were occupied. Members of the Friends of the Red Hill Valley and Six Nations Confederacy camped out in the valley. Construction was halted while Hamilton fought a legal action launched by the Six Nations. Hamilton proceeded with legal action against the other occupiers. Eventually, the Six Nations entered into a partnership with Hamilton to manage the remaining green space. A Hamilton municipal election was held in 2003, with pro-expressway candidate Larry Di Ianni winning the mayorship over expressway opponent David Christopherson.
Red Hill Valley Parkway | Construction
The road continues north as Old Stage Road, an unpaved road providing access to some homes and the New River Nature Reserve.
North Valley Parkway | Gavilan Peak section
The Valley is the site of the Red Hill Valley Parkway, which was completed through the valley in 2007. Originally called the Red Hill Creek Expressway during planning, construction was fought by environmentalists for many years. The expressway was proposed as part of a plan to bypass Hamilton along its south side, and facilitate development to the south and east of Hamilton. The valley, located between Hamilton's core and Stoney Creek, was chosen for the route of the expressway in the 1970s. The route was chosen over urban routes to avoid destruction of the neighbourhoods on either side and the resulting land costs.
Red Hill Valley | Expressway
The Regional Municipality of York applied for and obtained environmental assessment approval for this undertaking in July 2011 and January 2013, respectively. In July 2014 it was announced that Toronto and York would begin sharing jurisdiction over of Steeles west from Ninth Line in order to move forward on the planned widening project.
Donald Cousens Parkway | Construction
However, the sand-lime plant was destroyed by fire in 1946. Also the plant consolidated its outbuildings and three of the four signature chimneys were knocked down. Only one chimney remains today. The site underwent many changes during its existence, adding and removing buildings whenever and wherever it was conducive to the brick making process. The buildings, cluttered on the south end of the site, are all rectilinear buildings arranged in a grid-like pattern, connected wherever the users saw a need.
Don Valley Brick Works | History
The railway project received a boost in late June 2010 when a feasibility study draft indicated that the cost to develop a weekday commuter service along the route would be several times lower than initially estimated. A local government official supportive of the project cited reduced traffic as a primary benefit, leading to shorter commutes and a smaller regional carbon footprint. However, the same official admitted that raising capital for the project remained difficult in the economic environment of mid-2010.
Don Valley Railway | History
However, the highway through South Pasadena was not completed until January 30, 1941, and landscaping work continued through September. The final cost of $5.75 million, under $1 million per mile, was extremely low for a freeway project because the terrain was favorable for grade separations. The state began upgrading the four-lane North Figueroa Street extension (then part of Route 165) in October 1940 as a "Southerly Extension" of the parkway, even before the parkway was complete. The at-grade intersection with Riverside Drive was already a point of congestion, and the six lanes of parkway narrowing into four lanes of surface street would cause much greater problems.
Arroyo Seco Parkway | Construction
It would take until 1982 before serious consideration was given to any expressway plan. While most of the planned 1963 routes had vanished from the drawing board, a north–south link through the Red Hill Valley Creek and an east–west route along the brow of the escarpment remained in place. An environmental assessment of both links began and was approved in 1985. However, expressway opponents launched an appeal to the provincial cabinet. This appeal was rejected in 1987, and engineering began. Preliminary designs were submitted to the Regional Municipality of Hamilton–Wentworth and approved in April 1990. Construction began immediately on structures to carry three routes (two road and one rail) over the future Red Hill Valley Parkway.
Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway | History
It was expected that, considering Prospect Park was nearly complete, the parkway would be finished along with the park.
Eastern Parkway | Planning and construction
On September 7, a cofferdam was constructed and the diversion tunnel began to carry the flow of the Tuolumne. As the dam site dried out, the foundations were excavated down to bedrock; cracks in the rock were injected with so-called "dental concrete" to stabilize the foundation. Construction of the embankment began on September 16, 1968 using the hydraulic fill method. The dam's massive concrete emergency spillway was completed on January 19, 1969. However, severe flooding on January 26 destroyed the cofferdam and all of the construction site's bridges, putting work a month behind schedule. Cleanup proceeded at a rapid pace and placing of impervious material for the dam's core commenced on February 27.
New Don Pedro Dam | Construction
In 2011, construction began on the first piece of the route, a segment north of Hinton; another segment to the north of the first is under construction .
New River Parkway | Introduction
To connect the proposed parkway with downtown Los Angeles, that city improved and extended North Figueroa Street as a four-lane road to the Los Angeles River, allowing drivers to bypass the congested North Broadway Bridge on the existing but underutilized Riverside Drive Bridge. A large part of the project lay within Elysian Park, and four Art Deco tunnels were built through the hills. The first three, between Solano Avenue and the river, opened in late 1931, and the fourth opened in mid-1936, completing the extension of Figueroa Street to Riverside Drive. As with the contemporary Ramona Boulevard east from downtown, grade separations were mostly built only where terrain dictated.
Arroyo Seco Parkway | Construction
Don Valley was a federal electoral district of the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Eglinton, York East and York—Scarborough ridings. It consisted of the part of Metropolitan Toronto bounded by a line beginning where the Don River would meet Donlands Avenue, east along the Don River, north along the West Branch of the Don River, east along Eglinton Avenue East, north along the Don River, west along Lawrence Avenue East, north along Don Mills Road, west along Bond Avenue, north along Leslie Street, west along York Mills Road, north along Bayview Avenue, southwest along Highway 401, south along Yonge Street, east along Merton Street, south along Bayview Avenue, east and south along the northern limit of the Township of East York, and east along the Don River to Donlands Avenue.
Don Valley (electoral district) | Introduction
The resulting merged arterials will continue on Southeast to Capitol Parkway end (at 48th Street).
Antelope Valley Project | Auto parkway
When the planning application for Phase 4 was submitted, it was expected that construction would commence in July or August 2007. Construction of Phase 3 commenced in July 2007. Bachy Soletanche Ltd, who received the £1.5 million contract, commenced work on the site by installing a deep contiguous piled wall around the site. The perimeter wall consists of 241 contiguous piles, which were chosen by project design consultant WSP. The piles are in diameter. The piles will hold back the ground that consists of a few metres of fill, then a to thick sand layer which becomes weathered sandstone further down.
Snowhill | Phase 4