Misplaced Pages

#618381

100-530: 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

200-735: A four-leaf clover . A cloverleaf is the minimum interchange required for a four-legged system interchange. Although they were commonplace until the 1970s, most highway departments and ministries have sought to rebuild them into more efficient and safer designs. The cloverleaf interchange was invented by Maryland engineer Arthur Hale, who filed a patent for its design on May   24, 1915. The first one in North America opened on December   15, 1929, in Woodbridge, New Jersey, connecting New Jersey Route   25 and Route   4 (now U.S. Route   1/9 and New Jersey Route   35). It

300-407: A teardrop shape, with the points facing towards the center of the interchange. Longer ramps are often required due to line-of-sight requirements at roundabouts. A partial cloverleaf interchange (often shortened to the portmanteau, parclo ) is an interchange with loops ramps in one to three quadrants, and diamond interchange ramps in any number of quadrants. The various configurations are generally

400-399: A complex appearance and are often colloquially described as Mixing Bowls , Mixmasters (for a Sunbeam Products brand of electric kitchen mixers ), or as Spaghetti Bowls or Spaghetti Junctions (being compared to boiled spaghetti ). However, they consume a significantly smaller area of land compared to a cloverleaf interchange. A combination interchange (sometimes referred to by

500-475: A directional T interchange) is typically used when a three-way interchange is required for two or three highways interchanging in semi-parallel/perpendicular directions, but it can also be used in right-angle case as well. Their connecting ramps can spur from either the right or left side of the highway, depending on the direction of travel and the angle. Directional T interchanges use flyover/underpass ramps for both connecting and mainline segments, and they require

600-412: A dumbbell interchange or a dogbone interchange, is similar to the diamond interchange, but uses a pair of roundabouts in place of intersections to join the highway ramps with the crossroad. This typically increases the efficiency of the interchange when compared to a diamond, but is only ideal in light traffic conditions. In the dogbone variation, the roundabouts do not form a complete circle, instead having

700-540: A filibuster in the provincial legislature, proposing more than 12,000 amendments that allowed residents on streets of the proposed megacity take part in public hearings on the merger and adding historical designations to the streets. This only delayed the bill's inevitable passage, given the PCO's majority. The amalgamation would take place effective January 1, 1998, at which time the new City of Toronto (legal successor of Old Toronto ) came into existence. Originally, members of

800-667: A moderate amount of land and moderate costs since only two levels of roadway are typically used. Their name derives from their resemblance to the capital letter T, depending upon the angle from which the interchange is seen and the alignment of the roads that are interchanging. It is sometimes known as the "New England Y", as this design is often seen in the northeastern United States, particularly in Connecticut. This type of interchange features directional ramps (no loops, or weaving right to turn left) and can use multilane ramps in comparatively little space. Some designs have two ramps and

900-545: A newly constructed Metro Hall at 55 John Street, which was designed by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB Architects). The amalgamated council chose to meet at City Hall, though it temporarily met at Metro Hall while City Hall was retrofitted for the enlarged council. Metro Hall continues to be used as office space by the City of Toronto. The following is a list of services that were funded and provided by

1000-454: A parclo AB features a loop ramp approaching the crossroad in one direction, and beyond the crossroad in the opposing direction, as in the example image. A diverging diamond interchange (DDI) or double crossover diamond interchange (DCD) is similar to a traditional diamond interchange, except the opposing lanes on the crossroad cross each other twice, once on each side of the highway. This allows all highway entrances and exits to avoid crossing

1100-439: A safer modification of the cloverleaf design, due to a partial or complete reduction in weaving, but may require traffic lights on the lesser-travelled crossroad. Depending on the number of ramps used, they take up a moderate to large amount of land, and have varying capacity and efficiency. Parclo configurations are given names based on the location of and number of quadrants with ramps. The letter A denotes that, for traffic on

SECTION 10

#1732786921619

1200-543: A small angle and meet the non-freeway at almost right angles. These ramps at the non-freeway can be controlled through stop signs , traffic signals , or turn ramps. Diamond interchanges are much more economical in use of materials and land than other interchange designs, as the junction does not normally require more than one bridge to be constructed. However, their capacity is lower than other interchanges and when traffic volumes are high they can easily become congested. A double roundabout diamond interchange, also known as

1300-540: A system of interconnecting roadways to permit traffic on at least one of the routes to pass through the junction without interruption from crossing traffic streams. It differs from a standard intersection , where roads cross at grade . Interchanges are almost always used when at least one road is a controlled-access highway (freeway) or a limited-access highway (expressway), though they are sometimes used at junctions between surface streets. Note: The descriptions of interchanges apply to countries where vehicles drive on

1400-401: A three-level semi-directional T at Highway 407 and a two-level semi-directional T at Highway 401 . Service interchanges are used between a controlled-access route and a crossroad that is not controlled-access. A full cloverleaf may be used as a system or a service interchange. A diamond interchange is an interchange involving four ramps where they enter and leave the freeway at

1500-509: A three-way interchange. However, in a semi-directional T, some of the splits and merges are switched to avoid ramps to and from the passing lane , eliminating the major disadvantage of the directional T. Semi-directional T interchanges are generally safe and efficient, though they do require more land and are costlier than trumpet interchanges. Semi-directional T interchanges are built as two- or three-level junctions, with three-level interchanges typically used in urban or suburban areas where land

1600-442: A toll road meets another toll road or a free highway. They are also useful when most traffic on the terminating highway is going in the same direction. The turn that is used less often would contain the slower loop ramp. Trumpet interchanges are often used instead of directional or semi-directional T or Y interchanges because they require less bridge construction but still eliminate weaving. A full Y-interchange (also known as

1700-422: A traditional stack interchange. A three-level roundabout interchange features a grade-separated roundabout which handles traffic exchanging between highways. The ramps of the interchanging highways meet at a roundabout , or rotary, on a separated level above, below, or in the middle of the two highways. These interchanges can also be used to make a "linking road" to the destination for a service interchange, or

1800-492: A widened Steeles Avenue and extend Morningside to Steeles further west near Tapscott Road. Donald Cousens Parkway is intended to relieve north-south traffic congestion on York Regional Road 68 (Main Street, former Highway 48) and York Regional Road 69 (Ninth Line), with signage suggesting drivers use the parkway as a through route past Markham. As trucks are prohibited along Main Street, signage guides them onto

1900-446: Is a 3-level stack, since the semi-directional ramps are spaced out far enough, so they do not need to cross each other at a single point as in a conventional 4-level stack. Stacks are significantly more expensive than other four-way interchanges are due to the design of the four levels; additionally, they may suffer from objections of local residents because of their height and high visual impact. Large stacks with multiple levels may have

2000-428: Is an alternative four-way directional interchange. The turbine interchange requires fewer levels (usually two or three) while retaining directional ramps throughout. It features right-exit, left-turning ramps that sweep around the center of the interchange in a clockwise spiral . A full turbine interchange features a minimum of 18 overpasses, and requires more land to construct than a four-level stack interchange; however,

2100-477: Is braided when at least one of the roadways reverses sides. It seeks to make left and right turns equally easy. In a pure braided interchange, each roadway has one right exit, one left exit, one right on-ramp, and one left on-ramp, and both roadways are flipped. The first pure braided interchange was built in Baltimore at Interstate 95 at Interstate 695 ; however, the interchange was reconfigured in 2008 to

SECTION 20

#1732786921619

2200-470: Is more expensive. In a three-level semi-directional T, the two semi-directional ramps from the terminating highway cross the surviving highway at or near a single point, which requires both an overpass and underpass. In a two-level semi-directional T, the two semi-directional ramps from the terminating highway cross each other at a different point than the surviving highway, necessitating longer ramps and often one ramp having two overpasses. Highway 412 has

2300-1102: Is very close to the local residents.' The Frost government moved immediately and on February 25, 1953, introduced the bill ( An Act to provide for the Federation of the Municipalities in the Toronto Metropolitan Area for Certain Financial and Other Purposes ) to create the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The new municipality would have the power to tax real estate and borrow funds on its own. It would be responsible for arterial roads, major sewage and water facilities, regional planning, public transportation, administration of justice, metropolitan parks and housing issues as needed. The municipalities retained their individual fire and police departments, business licensing, public health and libraries. The council would have its own chairman, selected by

2400-477: The 1988 municipal election , requiring direct elections to Metro Council from all of Metro's municipalities and severing the links between the two tiers. The suburban boards of control were abolished and Metro Councillors were elected from new Metro Wards, which were larger than the city and borough wards. Now only the mayors of the six member municipalities sat on both the upper-tier and lower-tier councils. The first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto, Fred Gardiner,

2500-400: The controlled-access highway , the loop ramps are located in advance of (or approaching ) the crossroad, and thus provide an onramp to the highway. The letter B indicated that the loop ramps are beyond the crossroad, and thus provide an offramp from the highway. These letters can be used together when opposite directions of travel on the controlled-access highway are not symmetrical, thus

2600-403: The "inside" through road (on the same side as the freeway that ends) crossing each other at a three-level bridge. The directional T interchange is preferred to a trumpet interchange because a trumpet requires a loop ramp by which speeds can be reduced, but flyover ramps can handle much faster speeds. The disadvantage of the directional T is that traffic from the terminating road enters and leaves on

2700-438: The City of Toronto (which was deemed particularly important after being reincorporated as cities), North York and Scarborough built planned city centres: North York City Centre and Scarborough City Centre respectively. This pattern was in contrast to other metropolitan areas like Hamilton-Wentworth , where suburbs such as Stoney Creek had historic cores and whose inner areas were well separated from inner-city Hamilton . As

2800-401: The City of Toronto and the five townships, which at this time were re-designated as boroughs (all but East York were later incorporated as cities). Long Branch, New Toronto, and Mimico were absorbed back into Etobicoke; Weston was absorbed into York; Leaside into East York; and Swansea and Forest Hill, into Toronto, resulting in an unusual final situation where none of the municipalities outside

2900-537: The Highway ;401, Toronto has firmly opposed this direct link since 2005 due to the requirement for a new crossing of the Rouge River. After a lengthy and contentious debate between the two, the province brought in former York Region CAO Alan Wells as a mediator in 2007. In September 2010, York announced that it had reached a compromise to construct a discontinuous route, with Donald Cousens Parkway ending at

3000-559: The Markham Bypass to honour the work of mayor Don Cousens. Following this decision, a report was prepared outlining the costs; it was presented to council on February 22, 2007, and a bylaw enacted. The name change became effective April 1, 2007. South of Highway 407, planning for the controversial link to Morningside Avenue has been underway since 2002. Although York had intended for Donald Cousens Parkway to tie directly into Morningside, thus completing and arterial link

3100-580: The Metropolitan Toronto Council also sat on their respective lower-tier councils; they were not directly elected to the upper-tier council, and because Toronto councillors often voted in a bloc, inner-city issues tended to dominate. From its inception in 1953 until the 1966 municipal election , Metropolitan Toronto Council consisted of the mayor of Toronto, two members of the Toronto Board of Control (the top two finishers of

Donald Cousens Parkway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3200-528: The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, and seceded from York County. Metropolitan Toronto Council had its inaugural meeting on April 15, 1953, and was made up of the Metro chairman, Frederick Gardiner , who had been appointed by the province; the mayor of Toronto ; Toronto's two most senior controllers ; nine senior aldermen from the City of Toronto ; and the twelve suburban mayors and reeves . Metro Toronto

3300-468: The Toronto Board of Control was abolished with the 1969 Toronto municipal election , Toronto's contingent on Metro Council was made up of the mayor of Toronto and 11 senior aldermen – with the nine previous city wards being redrawn into 11 wards. In the City of Toronto the person who achieved the greatest number of votes in a ward was named the senior alderman. The person with the second most votes

3400-548: The United States opened on July   7, 2009, in Springfield, Missouri , at the junction of Interstate 44 and Missouri Route 13 . A single-point urban interchange (SPUI) or single-point diamond interchange (SPDI) is a modification of a diamond interchange in which all four ramps to and from a controlled-access highway converge at a single, three-phase traffic light in the middle of an overpass or underpass. While

3500-636: The adjacent Box Grove community. The Box Grove Bypass was constructed by the town beginning in 2005 and opened in the spring of 2007, partially utilizing the Donald Cousens Parkway alignment along the north side of the CP Havelock railway subdivision. Construction of the Box Grove Collector Road, between the Box Grove Bypass and Highway 407, began in 2009 and included a realignment of 14th Avenue. The developers of

3600-401: The bridges are generally short in length. Coupled with reduced maintenance costs, a turbine interchange is a less costly alternative to a stack. A windmill interchange is similar to a turbine interchange, but it has much sharper turns, reducing its size and capacity. The interchange is named for its similar overhead appearance to the blades of a windmill . A variation of the windmill, called

3700-459: The central Council Chamber. Eventually this space proved inadequate and committee facilities and councillors' offices were relocated to an office tower at the southwest corner of Bay and Richmond Street (390 Bay Street ), across from City Hall; Metro Council continued to meet in the City Hall council chamber. Finally, in 1992, the Metro government moved out of Toronto City Hall altogether and into

3800-436: The chairmanship of Lorne Cumming. The Board worked until 1953, releasing its report on January 20, 1953. Cumming's report proposed a compromise solution: a two-tiered government, with the formation of a Metropolitan government, governed by a Metropolitan Council, to provide strategic functions, while existing municipalities would retain all other services. He rejected full amalgamation, citing a need to preserve 'a government which

3900-452: The city no longer annexed suburbs from York Township. At times, the suburbs asked to be annexed into Toronto, but the city chose not to do so. In 1924, Ontario cabinet minister George S. Henry was the first to propose a 'metropolitan district' with its own council, separate from the city and the county, to administer shared services. He wrote a draft bill, but the government chose not to act on it. The Great Depression saw almost all of

4000-536: The city were ever entities founded as distinct historic urban settlements in their own right. The reorganized Metropolitan Toronto adopted a flag and decal using a symbol of six rings representing the six municipalities. Development in Metro Toronto generally unfurled outward smoothly from the City of Toronto into the surrounding municipalities with little leapfrogging , giving it a core-to-suburb continuum that ignored municipal boundaries, resulting in it having

4100-507: The compact design is safer, more efficient, and offers increased capacity—with three light phases as opposed to four in a traditional diamond, and two left turn queues on the arterial road instead of four—the significantly wider overpass or underpass structure makes them more costly than most service interchanges. Since single-point urban interchanges can exist in rural areas, such as the interchange of U.S. Route 23 with M-59 in Michigan ;

Donald Cousens Parkway - Misplaced Pages Continue

4200-537: The creation of a new basic road as a service interchange. Trumpet interchanges may be used where one highway terminates at another highway, and are named as such for to their resemblance to trumpets . They are sometimes called jug handles . These interchanges are very common on toll roads , as they concentrate all entering and exiting traffic into a single stretch of roadway, where toll plazas can be installed once to handle all traffic, especially on ticket-based tollways . A double-trumpet interchange can be found where

4300-577: The current Steeles Avenue / Ninth Line intersection, widening the two-laned Steeles to six west of that point, and extending Morningside north to Steeles immediately east of Eastvale Drive. 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 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of Steeles west from Ninth Line in order to move forward on

4400-448: The diverging windmill, increases capacity by altering the direction of traffic flow of the interchanging highways, making the connecting ramps much more direct. There also is a hybrid interchange somewhat like the diverging windmill in which left turn exits merge on the left, but it differs in that the left turn exits use left directional ramps. A braided or diverging interchange is a two-level, four-way interchange. An interchange

4500-483: The duration of World War II. Two factors changed in the 1940s. A Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PCO) government was elected in 1943, with a changed policy, intending to promote economic growth through government action. Also in 1943, the first master plan was adopted in Toronto. It recognized that future growth would take place in the vacant land of adjacent suburbs. Planning would have to take into account

4600-589: The eastern fringe of the community of Box Grove, alongside which it was built in the mid-2000s. On the west side is a new residential subdivision, while on the east side beyond the CP Havelock subdivision, which the road parallels, is the completely undeveloped Bob Hunter Memorial Park . After passing Box Grove Bypass, where for some time the route ended, the road also becomes known as Box Grove Collector Road (BGCR). The route intersects 14th Avenue ( York Regional Road 71 ) and continues as before, eventually curving north and meeting Copper Creek Drive while departing from

4700-485: The end the Harris government announced what they saw as a superior cost-saving plan. The six municipalities of Metro Toronto would be amalgamated into a single-tier city of Toronto. This was a major break from the past, which had seen the core simply annex suburbs. Similar amalgamations were planned for other parts of Ontario, such as Ottawa and Hamilton . The announcement touched off vociferous public objections to what

4800-637: The environmental effects that would come from two new crossings over the Rouge River . As such, a discontinuous alignment was planned as a compromise beginning in 2010. Although the Steeles Avenue widening has a construction schedule with construction planned to start in 2020, no timeline or construction schedule for the extension of Morningside north of Oasis Boulevard has been determined. Donald Cousens Parkway will be extended north from Major Mackenzie Drive to tie in with Highway 48, becoming

4900-534: The first minister of municipal affairs , David A. Croll , and introduced a draft bill to amalgamate Toronto and the built-up suburbs. The draft bill faced strong opposition in Toronto and was withdrawn. The government then started its own inquiry into issues of the suburbs surrounding Toronto. Through consensus, it came to the conclusion that a metropolitan municipality was the best solution. The inquiry reported in September 1939, and its conclusions were put aside for

5000-473: The first roads to feature grade-separations. Maryland engineer Arthur Hale filed a patent for the design of a cloverleaf interchange on May   24, 1915, though the conceptual roadwork was not realised until a cloverleaf opened on December   15, 1929, in Woodbridge, New Jersey , connecting New Jersey Route 25 and Route 4 (now U.S. Route 1/9 and New Jersey Route 35 ). It

5100-429: The four in municipal election) and one mayor or reeve from each of the 12 suburbs, and was presided over by the Metro chairman who did not have a seat. With the 1966 election, as the result of the reorganization of the 13 municipalities into the City of Toronto and five boroughs , representation on Metropolitan Toronto Council also changed and the body was expanded from 22 to 32 seats, with greater representation from

SECTION 50

#1732786921619

5200-422: The future towns of Cornell and Seaton using the greenspace between the two. However, the drive for expressway construction faded through the 1970s and 1980s as a result of opposition and the resulting cancellation of the Toronto expressway network . Studies nonetheless continued to be performed confirming the need for the route. The formation of Rouge Park in 1990 resulted in a commitment for "no new roads" through

5300-606: The job would be "bigger than anything he had tried before." The bill to form Metro was passed on April 2, 1953. The Gardiner appointment was announced on April 7. In Canada, the creation of municipalities falls under provincial jurisdiction. Thus it was provincial legislation, the Metropolitan Toronto Act , that created this level of government in 1953. When it took effect in 1954, the portion of York Township not yet annexed by Toronto, as well as all of Scarborough and Etobicoke Townships were incorporated as part of

5400-468: 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 and a planned connection with Morningside Avenue in Toronto form an "East Metro Transportation Corridor", originally envisioned by

5500-475: The local municipalities. Gardiner, elected as chairman of the board in 1949, wrote to Premier Leslie Frost that only a unified municipality could measure up to the problems. In 1950, the City of Toronto Council voted to adopt an amalgamated city, while nearly all of the suburbs rejected the amalgamation. From 1950 until 1951, the Ontario Municipal Board held hearings on the proposal, under

5600-573: The major junctions along Donald Cousens Parkway. The entire route is located in Markham, Ontario , within the Regional Municipality of York .  Interchange (road) In the field of road transport , an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways , using

5700-613: The media termed the " megacity " plan. In March 1997 a referendum in all six municipalities produced a vote of more than 3:1 against amalgamation. However, municipal governments in Canada are creatures of the provincial governments, and referendums have little to no legal effect. The Harris government could thus legally ignore the results of the referendum, and did so in April when it tabled the City of Toronto Act . Both opposition parties held

5800-488: The nine wards of the City of Toronto, the mayor of Scarborough and the four members of Scarborough's Board of Control, the mayor of Etobicoke and three of the four members of Etobicoke's Board of Control (the top three in terms of votes), the mayor of York and its two Controllers, the mayor of East York and one alderman, selected by East York council, the mayor of North York, all four members of North York's Board of Control, and one alderman selected by North York's council. After

5900-469: 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

6000-508: The northern edge of urban development in eastern Markham. A future extension, will carry Donald Cousens Parkway north, crossing over the Stouffville GO Train line on a new bridge and merging into the current southern terminus of Highway 48. As a result of this, Highway 48 and Donald Cousens Parkway (York Regional Road 48) will become the through route while Main Street will meet them at an intersection demarcating

6100-410: The number of the ward, name of municipality and the name of the local communities: At its inception in 1953, Metro was headquartered at a six-floor building at 67 Adelaide Street East (now home to Adelaide Resource Centre for Women). When the new Toronto City Hall opened in 1965, one of its twin towers was intended for Metro Toronto offices and the other for the City of Toronto; the two councils shared

SECTION 60

#1732786921619

6200-594: The opposite direction of travel and saves one signal phase of traffic lights each. The first DDIs were constructed in the French communities of Versailles ( A13 at D182), Le Perreux-sur-Marne ( A4 at N486) and Seclin ( A1 at D549), in the 1970s. Despite the fact that such interchanges already existed, the idea for the DDI was "reinvented" around 2000, inspired by the freeway-to-freeway interchange between Interstate 95 and I-695 north of Baltimore . The first DDI in

6300-560: The park south of Steeles Avenue, ending the potential for any expressway proposals to be approved. During 1994 and 1995, the MTO conducted two studies termed the Morningside Transportation Corridor Review . While the study once again confirmed the need for the route, it also suggested that while an expressway was the ideal solution, an arterial road would be the practical solution. It also suggested that

6400-541: The parkway. The road begins north of Steeles Avenue East, which serves as the boundary between Markham and Toronto. A two-laned Ninth Line curves northeast after crossing and being crossed by two separate railway tracks (the Canadian Pacific (CP) Havelock Subdivision and the Canadian National (CN) York Subdivision ) and becomes Donald Cousens Parkway, expanding to four lanes and travelling along

6500-513: The passing lane, so the semi-directional T interchange (see below) is preferred. The interchange of Highway 416 and Highway 417 in Ontario, constructed in the early 1990s, is one of the few directional T interchanges, as most transportation departments had switched to the semi-directional T design. As with a directional T interchange, a semi-directional T interchange uses flyover (overpass) or underpass ramps in all directions at

6600-450: The planned widening project. In the interim period since the debate erupted in 2005, York Region and the Town of Markham began collaboration on linking Donald Cousens Parkway between Steeles and Highway 407. Markham oversaw construction of the Box Grove Bypass (or Ninth Line Bypass) and Town Arterial Road, (or Box Grove Collector Road), with construction carried out by it and the developers of

6700-543: The portmanteau, cloverstack ) is a hybrid of other interchange designs. It uses loop ramps to serve slower or less-occupied traffic flow , and flyover ramps to serve faster and heavier traffic flows. If local and express ways serving the same directions and each roadway is connected righthand to the interchange, extra ramps are installed. The combination interchange design is commonly used to upgrade cloverleaf interchanges to increase their capacity and eliminate weaving. Some turbine-stack hybrids: The turbine interchange

6800-442: The position). As usual in Ontario municipalities, these councils were non-partisan , although in later years some councillors (and candidates) did identify themselves explicitly as members of particular political parties. Metro councillors were elected by plurality . From the inception of Metro Toronto until amalgamation , there were six chairmen altogether: Metro Toronto wards established in 1988 were given names that contained

6900-467: The problem of weaving, and due to the semi-directional flyover ramps and directional ramps, they are generally safe and efficient at handling high traffic volumes in all directions. A standard stack interchange includes roads on four levels, also known as a 4-level stack, including the two perpendicular highways, and one more additional level for each pair of left-turn ramps. These ramps can be stacked (cross) in various configurations above, below, or between

7000-593: The province in the 1970s as a six lane municipal expressway. During the mid-1990s, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) conducted studies and identified the need for the corridor by 2011. Although York Region had intended for a continuous alignment , the Toronto City Council has opposed the direct connection between Morningside and Donald Cousens Parkway. As a result, it is now proposed to connect Morningside Avenue and Donald Cousens Parkway via

7100-583: The province initially, then to be elected by the Council itself after 1955. Premier Frost convinced Fred Gardiner, who still preferred amalgamation, over the metro scheme, to take the job. Gardiner was well known to Frost through the Conservative Party, was well-off, was felt to be beyond personal corruption. Gardiner accepted the position partly due to his friendship with Frost, and he demanded that he retain his corporate connections. He also felt that

7200-547: The railway tracks and park. It passes a supercenter before an interchange with Highway 407, where it crosses over the toll route. No longer known by the BGCR name, the route meanders north, slowly edging east towards Reesor Road and now surrounded by undeveloped greenspace . It encounters Highway 7, north of which it becomes a divided roadway travelling on the eastern edge of Cornell as well as parallel to and alongside Reesor Road. Approaching and intersecting 16th Avenue,

7300-587: The right side of the road. For left-side driving, the layout of junctions is mirrored. Both North American (NA) and British (UK) terminology is included. The concept of the controlled-access highway developed in the 1920s and 1930s in Italy, Germany, the United States, and Canada. Initially, these roads featured at-grade intersections along their length. Interchanges were developed to provide access between these new highways and heavily-travelled surface streets. The Bronx River Parkway and Long Island Motor Parkway were

7400-455: The rightmost lane. After demerging from right-turning traffic, they complete their left turn by crossing both highways on a flyover ramp or underpass. The penultimate step is a merge with the right-turn on-ramp traffic from the opposite quadrant of the interchange. Finally, an on-ramp merges both streams of incoming traffic into the left-bound highway. As there is only one off-ramp and one on-ramp (in that respective order), stacks do not suffer from

7500-519: The road be a municipal route, rather than a provincial one. In 1997, the Environmental Assessment for the Markham Bypass extension was completed, approving construction of an interchange at the future Ontario Highway 407 (then open only as far as Ontario Highway 404 ) and a divided roadway north from there to Major Mackenzie Drive. Construction on the two lane section between 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive, connecting with

7600-421: The road is extended. US 70 and US 17 west of New Bern, North Carolina is an example. A stack interchange is a four-way interchange whereby a semi-directional left turn and a directional right turn are both available. Usually, access to both turns is provided simultaneously by a single off-ramp. Assuming right-handed driving, to cross over incoming traffic and go left, vehicles first exit onto an off-ramp from

7700-505: The road makes a broad sweeping curve northwest, continuing to serve as the boundary of urban development in Markham. It narrows to a two lane road, with adjacent land along the northern side prepared for future northbound lanes, before encountering Ninth Line again. Quickly curving north then east, sandwiched between the neighbourhood of Greenborough and Little Rouge Creek, the route makes a final curve north to end at Major Mackenzie Drive on

7800-460: The same as those of Metropolitan Toronto upon its dissolution: Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Highway 427 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Rouge River to the east. Prior to the formation of Metropolitan Toronto, the municipalities surrounding the central city of Toronto were all independent townships, towns and villages within York County . After 1912,

7900-462: The seats on Metro Council were reapportioned according to population, the council was now dominated by the suburban majority; but it continued to address suburban and inner city issues in equal measure. In the 1995 provincial election , PCO leader Mike Harris campaigned on reducing the level of government in Ontario as part of his Common Sense Revolution platform, and promised to examine Metropolitan Toronto with an eye to eliminating it. However, in

8000-431: The southern segment at Highway 7 with the northern segment north of 16th Avenue. This four lane section opened on October 24, 2006. The two lane road between this new section and 16th Avenue was subsequently closed and removed. Phase 1 cost an estimated $ 19.3 million; phase 2 an estimated $ 5.5 million; phase 3 an estimated $ 10.8 million. On October 19, 2006, York Regional Council voted to rename

8100-477: The structure of a single city. For example, most of the areas of the small inner boroughs of York and East York, were in effect, extensions of inner city Toronto and gradually transitioned into the more typical suburban areas of the outer municipalities (which also had such inner-city areas where they bordered Toronto). Given that none of the boroughs originated as distinct settlements, they did not have their own downtowns. To give themselves an identity distinct from

8200-401: The suburbs which now had 20 out of 32 seats on the body – up from 11 out of 22 with seats roughly allocated according to population. The distribution of seats was as follows. Toronto (12), North York (6), Scarborough (5), Etobicoke (4), York (3), East York (2). The new Metro Council was made up of the mayor of Toronto, two of the four members of the Toronto Board of Control, senior aldermen from

8300-404: The surrounding communities – Box Grove Hill Developments Inc. to the north of 14th Avenue and Box Grove Developers Group to the south – were contracted to build this section, which was scheduled for completion by December 2010. Although a short portion between Copper Creek Drive and Highway 407 — including the unfinished ramps at the interchange — was opened by 2011, the remainder of the project

8400-669: The term single-point diamond interchange is considered the correct phrasing. Single-point interchanges were first built in the early 1970s along U.S. Route 19 in the Tampa Bay area of Florida , including the SR 694 interchange in St. Petersburg and SR 60 in Clearwater . Metropolitan Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It

8500-406: 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 for budgetary reasons. The following table lists

8600-418: The towns and villages of the county become insolvent. When that happened, they were financially taken over by the province. In 1933, Henry, now the premier, appointed a formal inquiry into forming a metropolitan district. A proposal was made for Toronto to provide several of its services to the suburbs as well. The inquiry died with the defeat of Henry in 1934. In the 1930s, a Liberal Ontario government named

8700-502: The two interchanging highways. This makes them distinct from turbine interchanges, where pairs of left-turn ramps are separated but at the same level. There are some stacks that could be considered 5-level; however, these remain four-way interchanges, since the fifth level actually consists of dedicated ramps for HOV /bus lanes or frontage roads running through the interchange. The stack interchange between I-10 and I-405 in Los Angeles

8800-560: The two. The history of Donald Cousens Parkway dates back to the 1970s when Metropolitan Toronto and the Ontario Department of Highways, (now the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario or MTO) planned out the East Metro Transportation Corridor . This corridor was originally envisioned as a six-lane expressway connecting Highway 401 with the planned but unbuilt Highway 407 to service

8900-460: The whole metropolitan area. Forest Hill reeve Fred Gardiner , who was politically well-connected to newly elected PC premier George Drew , now promoted the idea of ambitious new programs to lay the capital infrastructure for growth. In 1946, the province passed the Planning Act , which required each urban municipality to have its own Planning Board. A Toronto and Suburban Planning Board

9000-479: Was Metro chairman from 1953 until the end of 1961. During his tenure, Metro built numerous infrastructure projects, including the opening of the first subway line , start of construction of the second subway line , water and sewage treatment facilities, rental housing for the aged and the Gardiner Expressway , named after Gardiner. Metro also amalgamated the various police forces into one in 1956. It

9100-423: Was a period of rapid development of the suburban municipalities of Metro. The population of Metropolitan Toronto increased from one million to 1.6   million by the time he left office. As a result of continued growth, the province reorganized Metro in 1967. The seven small towns and villages, which were no longer any denser than the surrounding areas, were merged into their surrounding municipalities. This left

9200-475: Was appointed by the province; subsequent chairmen were elected by Metro Council itself. The Metro chairman was, for many years, an ex-officio member of the council without having to be elected to Metro Council by constituents as either a local mayor, controller , alderman or councillor. Beginning in 1988, the position of chairman was chosen by council members from amongst its own members (excluding mayors who could vote for Metro councillors but could no longer run for

9300-449: Was composed of the City of Toronto, the towns of New Toronto , Mimico , Weston and Leaside ; the villages of Long Branch , Swansea and Forest Hill and the townships of Etobicoke , York , North York , East York , and Scarborough . Metropolitan Toronto had planning authority over the surrounding townships such as Vaughan , Markham , and Pickering , although these areas did not have representation on Metro Council. Gardiner

9400-540: Was considered a revolutionary design at the time of its construction. A cloverleaf offers uninterrupted connections between two roads but suffers from weaving issues. Along the mainline, a loop ramp introduces traffic prior to a second loop ramp providing access to the crossroad, between which ingress and egress traffic mixes. For this reason, the cloverleaf interchange has fallen out of favour in place of combination interchanges . Some may be half cloverleaf containing ghost ramps which can be upgraded to full cloverleafs if

9500-538: Was delayed by issues involving a new railway crossing along 14th Avenue. It opened in 2012 at an estimated cost of $ 15.5 million. The original intention of the Markham Bypass was to link Highway 48 with Highway 401 via the Morningside Avenue extension through Toronto. York Region planned for a continuous connection between the bypass and Morningside, meeting Steeles Avenue west of its intersection with Ninth Line . However, Toronto resisted, citing

9600-436: Was designed by Philadelphia engineering firm Rudolph and Delano, based on a design seen in an Argentinian magazine. A system interchange connects multiple controlled-access highways, involving no at-grade signalised intersections. A cloverleaf interchange is a four-legged junction where left turns across opposing traffic are handled by non-directional loop ramps. It is named for its appearance from above, which resembles

9700-543: Was designed by Philadelphia engineering firm Rudolph and Delano based on a design seen in an Argentinian magazine. The first cloverleaf in Canada opened in 1938 at the junction of Highway 10 and what would become the Queen Elizabeth Way . The first cloverleaf outside of North America opened in Stockholm on October   15, 1935. Nicknamed Slussen , it was referred to as a "traffic carousel" and

9800-588: Was founded, under the chairmanship of James P. Maher, and the vice-chairmanship of Fred Gardiner. The Board promoted specific projects, and also promoted a suburban 'green belt', a unified system of arterial roads and the creation of a single public transit network. The Board was ineffective. Projects such as a bridge across the Don River Valley and the Spadina Road Extension (the basis for the later Spadina Expressway ) were rejected by

9900-431: Was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, which were starting to urbanize rapidly after World War II. It was commonly referred to as " Metro Toronto " or " Metro ". Passage of the 1997 City of Toronto Act caused the 1998 amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto and its constituents into the current City of Toronto . The boundaries of present-day Toronto are

10000-641: Was the junior alderman. Both aldermen sat on the Toronto City Council, but only the senior alderman sat on Metro Council. With the 1985 Toronto municipal election the Metro Councillor and City Councillor in the City of Toronto were elected separately though from the same ward. The Metro Councillors still sat on both the Toronto and Metro Council, however. The suburbs retained the status quo and still did not have direct elections to Metro. The Province of Ontario changed this arrangement with

#618381