Don Mills Road
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York Regional Road 12 | |||||||||
Maintained by | City of Toronto Region of York | ||||||||
Length | 46 km (29 mi) | ||||||||
Location | Toronto Markham | ||||||||
South end | O'Connor Drive in East York, Toronto | ||||||||
Major junctions | Eglinton Avenue Lawrence Avenue Highway 401 Sheppard Avenue Finch Avenue Steeles Avenue | ||||||||
North end | John Street in Thornhill, Markham (Continues as Leslie Street) | ||||||||
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Don Mills Road is a north-south route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through the former cities of East York and North York. It begins at O'Connor Drive near ramps to the Don Valley Parkway, and ends at John Street. North of Steeles Avenue, the road is officially named as York Regional Road 12.
From south to north, it passes through the neighbourhoods Todmorden Village, Flemingdon Park, Don Mills, Graydon Hall, Henry Farm, Parkway Forest, and Don Valley Village.
Between Sheppard and Finch Avenues, Don Mills Road splits into two one-way curved boulevards known as Don Mills Road East and Don Mills Road West. This section is called The Peanut due to its shape on a topographic map. It surrounds schools, a community centre, and the Peanut Plaza.
History[edit]
The road was originally built as a routing beside the eastern banks of the Don River (now called Broadview Avenue) to the original mills on the Don (now called Todmorden Mills). It terminated at York Mills Road, along which there was a "jog" to the third concession east of Yonge Street, which was known as Woodbine Avenue until the construction of Highway 404.
In the 1950s, when the urban planned community of Don Mills was created, Don Mills Road was further extended north from this terminus into North York.
By 1990, Don Mills Road was widened from four to six lanes between Overlea Boulevard and York Mills Road. The two additional lanes became the first carpool diamond lanes in Toronto.[1]
Public transportation[edit]
TTC bus routes that run along Don Mills Road include: 25 Don Mills, 100 Flemingdon Park, 303 Don Mills (Blue Night), and 403 South Don Mills (community route).
Since November 2002, Don Mills station located under Fairview Mall has served as a connection between the Sheppard subway line and a multitude of other bus routes.
There are plans by the TTC to run streetcars on Don Mills from Steeles to Overlea Boulevard to Pape station with the Don Mills LRT, as part of the TTC's Transit City plan.[2]
Attractions[edit]
- Ontario Science Centre south of Eglinton Avenue
- Shops at Don Mills at Lawrence Avenue
- Fairview Mall at Sheppard Avenue
- The Peanut between Sheppard and Finch Avenue
- Seneca College, Newnham Campus on Finch
- The historic Zion Church Cultural Centre at Finch
- Don Mills Collegiate Institute a local high school
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Biggest roads plan in 20 years okayed by Metro Council". 1989-06-22.
- ^ "TTC Transit City". Retrieved 2008-10-21.