Yonge Street ( / j ʌ ŋ / YUNG ) is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe , a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes . Ontario's first colonial administrator, John Graves Simcoe , named the street for his friend Sir George Yonge , an expert on ancient Roman roads .
213-531: Once the southernmost leg of provincial Highway 11 , linking the provincial capital with northern Ontario , Yonge Street has been referred to as "Main Street Ontario". Until 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records repeated the popular misconception that Yonge Street was 1,896 km (1,178 mi) long, making it the longest street in the world; this was due to a conflation of Yonge Street with
426-577: A Hudson's Bay Company Hudson's Bay store. The northwest quadrant has the Two Bloor West office tower. The southeast quadrant has a condominium tower constructed in the early 21st century, and the southwestern quadrant is being developed for a condominium . The Mink Mile 's borders extend from Yonge to Avenue Road along Bloor. The intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets is a "scramble"-type intersection, which allows pedestrians to cross from any corner to any other corner. Immediately north of Bloor,
639-532: A $ 71-million contract was awarded for a mix of twinning and a new alignment for 7.9-kilometre (4.9 mi) from Superior Shores Road south of Ouimet to south of Dorion Loop Road near Dorion . Construction started a few weeks earlier at the end of November. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2023. On July 11, 2022, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of the new eastbound lanes opened from Ouimet Canyon Road to Superior Shores Road. The remainder of
852-447: A 41-kilometre (25 mi) gap remaining to be four-laned; by 2009, construction was underway on 36 kilometres (22 mi). A 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) section from south of Burk's Falls to south of Katrine was four-laned by late 2010, mostly along a new alignment. The 17-kilometre (11 mi) Sundridge–South River Bypass opened to traffic on or about September 20, 2011, along a new alignment. The final two projects, twinning
1065-409: A better-protected location and build overland routes to the upper lakes as soon as possible. He established York , as Toronto was originally called, with its naturally enclosed harbour , as a defensible site for a new capital. To provide communications between the site and the upper lakes, he planned two connected roads, the first running north from York to Lake Simcoe , (then named Lake aux Claies ),
1278-427: A bid to become "Toronto's Times Square ". It is the site of numerous public events. Another stretch of busy retail lines both sides of Yonge Street north of Dundas Street. The density of businesses diminishes north of Gerrard Street ; residential towers with some ground-floor commercial uses flank this section. The Art Deco College Park building, a former shopping complex of the T. Eaton Company , occupies much of
1491-491: A bypass. Beginning in 1965 Highway 11 was widened to a divided four-lane route between Orillia and North Bay. Initially, this work began at the southern end and progressed northwards; work later began southwards from North Bay. The first section to be four-laned was 8.0 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Orillia, which was completed in October 1964, while the remaining 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north to Severn River
1704-441: A contract with Disney, officials from the city and state evicted the pornographic theaters and contracted with Madame Tussauds and AMC Theatres to move onto 42nd Street. This spurred the construction of new office towers, hotels, and tourist attractions in the area. Prudential and Klein dissolved their partnership for the four office-building sites at Times Square's southern end in 1996. The same year, Douglas Durst acquired
1917-482: A cultural hub full of theatres, music halls , and upscale hotels. Times Square quickly became New York's agora , a place to gather to await great tidings and to celebrate them, whether a World Series or a presidential election. Advertising also grew significantly in the 1920s, growing from $ 25 million to $ 85 million over the decade. For example, the Wrigley Spearmint Gum sign, possibly
2130-562: A dense residential community on either side of Yonge Street. The intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets is a major crossroads of Toronto, informally considered the northern edge of the downtown core. Subway Line 2 Bloor–Danforth intersects the Yonge line here, with the resulting transfers between lines making Bloor–Yonge station the busiest in the city. The northeast quadrant features the Hudson's Bay Centre office and retail complex, including
2343-468: A group of 64 families north-east of Toronto to found the town of German Mills , in today's Markham . By the end of 1794, Berczy's settlers had cleared the route around Thornhill . However, the settlement was hit by a series of setbacks and road construction stalled. Work on the road resumed in 1795 when the Queen's Rangers took over. They began their work at Eglinton Avenue and proceeded north, reaching
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#17327798109082556-638: A horse. The tolls were designed to tax those that had money: Farmers on their way to market. A horse-drawn streetcar line was completed on Yonge Street in Toronto in September 1861 and operated by the Toronto Street Railway . The line went from Scollard Street to King Street. Streetcar service would be electrified in Toronto by 1892. Confederation and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway further diminished
2769-645: A jog, it runs north for about 1.8 kilometres, stopping at a dead end just past the Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club; further north, the name picks up again as an unpaved farm road which ends at Ravenshoe Road west of Keswick and just south of Lake Simcoe . The diversion running from Holland Landing to Bradford does not carry the Yonge name but instead was named Bradford Street in Holland Landing, and Holland Landing Road in Bradford. The latter
2982-656: A kilometre from Kempenfelt Bay, at a T-intersection with Essa Road. With the outbreak of hostilities between France and Great Britain in 1793, part of the War of the First Coalition , the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), John Graves Simcoe , was concerned about the possibility of the United States entering British North America in support of their French allies. In particular,
3195-514: A low entertainment district. The first theater on the square, the Olympia , was built by cigar manufacturer and impresario Oscar Hammerstein I . According to Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 , "By the early 1890s this once sparsely settled stretch of Broadway was ablaze with electric light and thronged by crowds of middle- and upper-class theatre, restaurant and cafe patrons." In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs moved
3408-434: A major road. A path did exist between Queen and Bloor Streets, but was called the "road to Yonge Street", rather than being considered part of the street itself due to its poor condition. Over time the creeks were rerouted and the swamps drained. In 1812 the route was extended from Queen Street to the harbour, and in 1828 the entire southern portion was solidified with gravel. St. Albans never developed as Simcoe had hoped, but
3621-447: A mass yoga event involving up to 15,000 people. Tim Tompkins, a co-founder of the event, said part of its appeal was "finding stillness and calm amid the city rush on the longest day of the year". Architect Mark Foster Gage proposed and designed the original Times Square Valentine's Day heart in 2009. Since then, designing the heart has become an annual competition. In February 2011, Times Square became smoke-free as New York extended
3834-519: A massive crowd celebrated Victory in Europe Day in Times Square; and on August 15, 1945, the largest crowd in the history of Times Square gathered to celebrate Victory over Japan Day , reaching an estimated two million. The victory itself was announced by a headline on the "zipper" news ticker at One Times Square , which read "OFFICIAL ***TRUMAN ANNOUNCES JAPANESE SURRENDER ***". From
4047-600: A million visitors to Times Square every year, in addition to a worldwide audience of one billion or more on various digital media platforms. Times Square, specifically the intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, is the eastern terminus of the Lincoln Highway , the first road across the United States for motorized vehicles. Times Square is sometimes referred to as "the Crossroads of the World" and "the heart of
4260-500: A minimum limit for lighting instead of the standard maximum limit. The density of illuminated signs in Times Square rivals that in Las Vegas . Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called " jumbotrons ". This signage ordinance was implemented in accordance with guidelines set in a revitalization program that New York Governor Mario Cuomo implemented in 1993. Notable signage includes
4473-553: A new alignment east of that point to Birch Beach Road. The latter project was completed first, opening in July 2013, while the former was opened the week of September 29, 2014. Construction began in 2013 on a new four lane cable-stayed bridge across the Nipigon River , to replace the existing two lane bridge built in 1974. The southern span to carry the future westbound lanes was opened on November 28, 2015, after which
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#17327798109084686-605: A number of kettle lakes and traversing the crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine , thence leaving the Lake Ontario basin. Yonge passes through the core of Aurora, and in the regional seat of Newmarket, Yonge serves as the town's main suburban artery, passing through low-density residential and commercial areas, bypassing its core to the west. North of Green Lane , Regional Road 1 deviates from the original baseline 56 km (35 mi) north of Lake Ontario, bypassing
4899-419: A pole atop the building, marking the start of the new year. It replaced a lavish fireworks display from the top of the building that was held from 1904 to 1906 but stopped by city officials because of the danger of fire. Beginning in 1908, and for more than eighty years thereafter, Times Square sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for the ball-lowering. During World War II, a minute of silence, followed by
5112-553: A recording of church bells pealing, replaced the ball drop because of wartime blackout restrictions. Today, Countdown Entertainment and One Times Square handle the New Year's Eve event in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance. A new energy-efficient LED ball debuted for the arrival of 2008, which was the centennial of the Times Square ball drop. The 2008–09 ball is larger and has become a permanent installation as
5325-458: A reputation as a dangerous and seedy neighborhood in the following decades. Nevertheless, Times Square continued to be the site of the annual ball drop on New Year's Eve . The ball drop was placed on hiatus for New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943 due to lighting restrictions during World War II , replaced by a moment of silence that was observed at midnight in Times Square, accompanied by the sound of chimes played from sound trucks. On May 8, 1945,
5538-488: A right turn at an intersection in downtown Bradford, where it is initially named Barrie Street before the name Yonge resumes, roughly paralleling Lake Simcoe's western shore through rural countryside, traversing the rolling hills of southeast Simcoe County , and is signed Simcoe Road 4 . The street officially ends in Barrie at a rail spur , where its name changes to Burton Avenue at Garden Drive, which itself ends less than
5751-414: A road existed between Cobalt and Kirkland Lake , as well as between Ramore and Cochrane, with an approximately 32-kilometre (20 mi) gap separating the two sections. Conservative leader Howard Ferguson promised to build a road to connect North Bay and Cochrane during the 1923 Ontario general election , which saw him elected as premier . The route of the new road between North Bay and Cobalt
5964-598: A small party of soldiers and native guides started northward along the trail, establishing the Pine Fort on the western branch of the Holland River , near the modern location of Bradford . Stopping only to rename Lake aux Claies "Lake Simcoe" in memory of his father, the party continued north to Lake Couchiching , and then down the Severn River to Georgian Bay. Here he selected the site of Penetanguishene as
6177-450: A source of controversy in the summer of 2015 because of a large number of complaints about the topless women and panhandling characters. Although neither of these activities are illegal, opponents believed that the panhandlers' presence was detrimental to the quality of life in the area. There were calls from Police Commissioner Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove the plaza, although Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer opposed
6390-605: A tiny hamlet, Great Kill, that became a center for carriage-making, as the upland to the south and east became known as Longacre. Before and after the American Revolution , the area belonged to John Morin Scott , a general of the New York militia , in which he served under George Washington . Scott's manor house was at what is currently 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. In
6603-485: A trial until at least the end of the year. The same was done in Herald Square from 33rd to 35th Street. The results were to be closely monitored to determine if the project was successful and should be extended. Bloomberg also stated that he believed the street shutdown would make New York more livable by reducing pollution, cutting down on pedestrian-vehicle accidents, and helping traffic flow more smoothly through
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6816-440: A year to clear the road of logs, subsequently removed by convicted drunks as part of their sentences. The southern end of the road was in use in the first decade of the 19th century, and became passable all the way to the northern end in 1816. The road was extended south from Eglinton to Bloor Street in 1796 by Berczy, who needed a route to his warehouse on the Toronto lakeshore. The area south of Bloor Street proved too swampy for
7029-464: A year-round attraction, being used for celebrations on days such as Valentine's Day and Halloween . The New Year's Eve celebrations are usually overseen by thousands of police officers. Aluminum barriers are erected to accommodate spectators; for the 2020 celebration, attended by a million people, barriers were erected from 38th to 59th Street and from Sixth to Eighth Avenue. Typically, the celebrations create large amounts of waste. The waste includes
7242-401: Is at freeway standards, while several at-grade intersections remain between Bracebridge and Huntsville. Highway 11 crosses the 45th parallel north 550 metres (1,800 ft) north of the bridge carrying Highway 118 at interchange 182, just outside Bracebridge. The 120-kilometre (70 mi) section of Highway 11 between Huntsville and North Bay provides access to
7455-584: Is being done to twin the route from Ouimet to Dorion . Additionally, the section from Balsam Street to the Harbour Expressway is four lanes wide, but undivided. The partial cloverleaf interchange at Thunder Bay's Hodder Avenue is the only interchange in Northwestern Ontario . Highway 11 and 17 run concurrently from Nipigon down to Thunder Bay, a distance of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi), where they swing west on
7668-501: Is bounded by West 42nd Street , West 47th Street , 7th Avenue, and Broadway. Broadway runs diagonally, crossing through the horizontal and vertical street grid of Manhattan laid down by the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 , and that intersection creates the "bowtie" shape of Times Square. Times Square is the official name of the southern triangle, below 45th Street. The northern triangle is officially known as Duffy Square and
7881-538: Is bounded by historic and commercial buildings, many serving the large weekday workforce concentrated here. These include the flagship Toronto locations of the Hudson's Bay Company and Saks Fifth Avenue , both in the historic Simpson's building. Yonge Street's entire west side, from Queen to Dundas Streets , is occupied by the Eaton Centre , a multi-storey indoor mall featuring shops along its Yonge Street frontage. The east side has two historic performance venues,
8094-417: Is built on landfill extended into the bay. The former industrial area has been converted from port, rail and industrial uses to a dense, residential, high-rise community. The elevated Gardiner Expressway and the congested rail lines of the Toronto railway viaduct on their approach to Union Station pass over Yonge Street. The road rises slightly near Front Street , marking the pre-landfill shoreline. Here, at
8307-421: Is central to the former suburb municipality of North Toronto , now widely referred to as Midtown , which is divided into several local neighbourhoods. Yonge Street along this stretch features mixed low-scale residential, retail, and commercial buildings. The intersection at Eglinton Avenue has become a focal point, serving as a high-density residential, commercial and transit hub. The site of Montgomery's Tavern
8520-906: Is famed for the Times Square Ball drop on its roof every New Year's Eve. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association , headed by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher , chose the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway (at the southeast corner of Times Square) to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway . This was the first road across the United States, which originally ran 3,389 mi (5,454 km) coast to coast through 13 states to its western terminus in Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Times Square grew dramatically after World War I . It became
8733-724: Is mostly two- and three-storey buildings with ground-floor commercial uses of varying types. South of St. Clair once stood the Deer Park carhouse for the Metropolitan Street Railway Metropolitan line. It was sold by the Toronto Transportation Commission to the Badminton and Racquet Club of Toronto in 1924 and mostly destroyed by a fire in 2017. From approximately St. Clair Avenue to Yonge Boulevard, Yonge Street
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8946-609: Is nearby, the location of a significant clash in the Upper Canada Rebellion and is marked as a National Historic Site . The tavern was later replaced by the Postal Station K Building, now a podium for Montgomery Square condominium complex. North of Yonge Boulevard, Yonge Street traverses the deep forested ravine of the West Don Valley at Hoggs Hollow , a formidable obstacle in pioneer days and
9159-434: Is now Bethune Drive, opened in 1948, while reconstruction of the remainder of the route between Washago and Gravenhurst was completed in 1949. To the south, improvements between Barrie and Orillia, including a divided four-lane highway around the latter, were completed by 1955. During that period, a two-lane bypass around Washago was built between 1954 and 1955. Similar bypasses were built between Barrie and North Bay over
9372-515: Is simply either Yonge Street or the sections of various streets the highway followed. By 1997, the four-laning of Highway 11 reached to approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north of Highway 60, where an interchange was built in 1992, as well as from North Bay south to Powassan. A continuous construction project was carried out over the next 15 years to widen the remaining 93 kilometres (58 mi) between Huntsville and Powassan. A 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) project to twin
9585-467: Is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. About one million revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations, more than twice the usual number of visitors the area usually receives daily. However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately two million people overflowed Times Square, flowing from Sixth Avenue to Eighth Avenue and back on Broadway and Seventh Avenue to 59th Street, making it
9798-458: The 100th Regiment , came across a large bear on the street and cut its head open with his sword. In 1824, work began to extend Yonge Street to Kempenfelt Bay near Barrie . A northwestern extension was branched off the original Yonge Street in Holland Landing (present-day Holland Landing Road and the stretch of York Road 1 running northwest of Bathurst Street ) and ran into the new settlement of Bradford before turning north towards Barrie (with
10011-635: The Canada men's national ice hockey team won the Olympic gold medal in 2002, 2010 and 2014, and when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019. During these celebrations motorists drive up and down the other portions of the street honking their horns and flying flags and during lesser celebrations (when the crowds have not closed down the street), they will do this along the downtown portions of
10224-883: The Disney theme parks worldwide, with 128,794,000 visitors between March 2012 and February 2013, versus 126,479,000 for the Walt Disney World theme parks in Bay Lake, Florida , in 2012. Even excluding residents from the visitor count, Times Square is the world's second most visited tourist attraction, behind the Las Vegas Strip . The high level of pedestrian traffic has resulted in $ 4.8 billion in annual retail, entertainment, and hotel sales, with 22 cents out of every dollar spent by visitors in New York City being spent within Times Square. Times Square
10437-496: The East Don Valley in the upper part of its watershed) and Richmond Hill . Various stretches of Yonge Street throughout this area contain residential high-rise buildings of varying ages, with some currently under development. Continuous urbanization ends just south of Stouffville Road, and the street passes through brief semi-rural exurban stretches between Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket , and Holland Landing , passing
10650-817: The Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the Canon Theatre and before that, the Pantages) and the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres . In addition, Massey Hall is just to the east on Shuter Street. Opposite the north end of the Eaton Centre lies Yonge–Dundas Square . The area now comprising the square was cleared of several small commercial buildings and redeveloped in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has been outfitted with large video screens, and developed with retail shopping arcades, fountains and seating in
10863-533: The Humber River and the Don River had no less than five tollbooths spaced along its length. In the 1830s, the tollbooth near York Mills ' Miller Tavern and north of Montgomery's Tavern was "a tiny two-storey building on the west side of Yonge" at the top of the hill "with a roof stretched over the roadway to a support on the far side." In 1850, Yonge Street together with a number of other local roads
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#173277981090811076-701: The Macklowe Hotel , Marriott Marquis , Crowne Plaza , and DoubleTree Suites. By 1986, New York City Planning Commission (CPC) was considering enacting regulations that would have forced new buildings along Times Square to include bright signage as well as deep setbacks . The CPC adopted a planning regulation in 1987, which required large new developments in Times Square to set aside about 5 percent of their space for "entertainment uses". The regulation also required new buildings on Times Square to include large, bright signs. The buildings at 1540 Broadway, 1585 Broadway, and 750 Seventh Avenue were completed at
11289-466: The Midtown Manhattan section of New York City . It is formed by the junction of Broadway , Seventh Avenue , and 42nd Street . Together with adjacent Duffy Square , Times Square is a bowtie -shaped plaza five blocks long between 42nd and 47th Streets . Times Square is brightly lit by numerous digital billboards and advertisements as well as businesses offering 24/7 service . One of
11502-699: The Muskoka Road —all early colonization roads in the region—a continuous route was created between Toronto and North Bay; however, the new department's jurisdiction did not extend north of the Severn River. Roads north of that point were maintained by the Department of Northern Development (DND). In order to be eligible for federal funding, the DPHO established a network of provincial highways on February 26, 1920. What would become Highway 11
11715-522: The State of New York took possession of six of the nine historic theaters on 42nd Street, and the New 42nd Street non-profit organization was appointed to oversee their restoration and maintenance. The theaters underwent renovation for Broadway shows, conversion for commercial purposes, or demolition. Opposition to the towers on Times Square, along with Prudential and Park Tower's inability to secure tenants for
11928-685: The Toshiba billboard directly under the NYE ball drop, the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street, and the curved Coca-Cola sign located underneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung . Both the Coca-Cola sign and Samsung LED displays were built by LED display manufacturer Daktronics . Times Square's first environmentally friendly billboard powered by wind and solar energy
12141-668: The Vince Lombardi Trophy . The area was under increased security and witnessed over 400,000 people during the period. In October 2022, casino operator Caesars Entertainment and commercial property developer SL Green submitted a joint proposal to open a casino at 1515 Broadway , along Times Square. The New York state government has yet to act on the proposal. On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped starting Memorial Day 2009 and transformed into pedestrian plazas as
12354-539: The Viva Blue BRT . The street is a commercial main thoroughfare rather than a ceremonial one, with the Downtown Yonge shopping and entertainment district containing landmarks such as the Eaton Centre and Yonge–Dundas Square . Yonge Street originates on the northern shore of Toronto Bay at Queens Quay as a four-lane arterial road (speed limit 40 km/h) proceeding north. Toronto's Harbourfront
12567-498: The War of 1812 , when construction of a new fleet of first-rate ships began on the Lakes, necessitating the shipment of a large anchor from England for use on a frigate under construction on Lake Huron . The war ended while the anchor was still being moved, and now lies just outside Holland Landing in a park named in its honour. Bears were known to wander onto Yonge Street in the early days of Toronto. In 1809 Lieutenant Fawcett , of
12780-473: The Yonge Street Extension , is co-signed with Regional Road 13 . At Queensville Side Road, the road breaks, and resumes again slightly to the west for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) before it ends in the upper Holland Marsh with an unopened road clearance signed with trees next to the Silver Lakes Golf and Country Club. Yonge resumes to the northwest in Bradford (reached via Regional Road 1), at
12993-527: The York Regional Road 1 designation north of the Toronto city limits at Steeles Avenue in York Region ), Yonge Street is a suburban commercial strip, passing Highway 407 (exit 77) two kilometres north of Steeles. This 16.5 km (10.3 mi) segment is a busy suburban arterial, interrupted by the original town centres of suburban communities such as Thornhill (where the route crosses
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#173277981090813206-558: The detailed design process as of 2022, and are broken up into several sections: 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) between Pearl and south of Ouimet; 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi) between Dorion Loop Road and near Highway 582 ; 8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi) between Highway 582 and Coughlin Road; 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) between Coughlin Road and Red Rock Road No. 9, crossing the Black Sturgeon River and connecting with
13419-552: The remodeling claim that the neighborhood is safer and cleaner. Detractors have countered that the changes have homogenized or "Disneyfied" the character of Times Square and have unfairly targeted lower-income New Yorkers from nearby neighborhoods such as Hell's Kitchen . The changes were shaped in large part by the actions of The Walt Disney Company , which bought and restored the New Amsterdam Theatre after several attempts at redevelopment had failed. As part of
13632-525: The 1790s, forming the basis of the concession roads in Ontario today. In Toronto and York Region , Yonge Street is the north–south baseline from which street numbering is reckoned east and west. The eastern branch of the subway Line 1 Yonge–University serves nearly the entire length of the street in Toronto; it serves as the spine of the Toronto subway system, linking to suburban commuter systems such as
13845-416: The 19-kilometre (12 mi) Tri-Town Bypass, from Gillies to north of New Liskeard, was opened on September 18. The new route bypassed the towns of Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard (the latter two which have since become part of Temiskaming Shores ). In several cases, the original route of Highway 11 became a business route (Highway 11B, see #Business routes ) upon the completion of
14058-654: The 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. However, it was also during this period that the area began to be besieged by crime and corruption, in the form of gambling and prostitution; one case that garnered huge attention was the arrest and subsequent execution of police officer Charles Becker . The general atmosphere of Times Square changed with the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s. City residents moved uptown to cheaper neighborhoods, and many popular theaters closed, replaced by saloons, brothels, "burlesque halls, vaudeville stages, and dime houses". The area acquired
14271-525: The 1960s to the early 1990s, the seediness of the area, especially due to its go-go bars , sex shops , peep shows , and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline. As early as 1960, 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues was described by The New York Times as "the 'worst' [block] in town". Later that decade, Times Square was depicted in Midnight Cowboy as gritty, depraved, and desperate. Conditions only worsened in
14484-450: The 1960s, the highway was four-laned between Barrie and North Bay in stages. Four laning was completed between Barrie and Gravenhurst in the 1960s, between Gravenhurst and Huntsville in the 1970s, and from North Bay south to Callander in the 1980s. The remaining two lane section between Huntsville and Callander was four laned through the 1990s and 2000s, and was completed in 2012. A section concurrent with Highway 17 east of Thunder Bay
14697-687: The 1970s and 1980s, as did the crime in the rest of the city, with a 1981 article in Rolling Stone magazine calling 42nd Street in Times Square the "sleaziest block in America". In the mid-1980s, the area bounded by 40th and 50th Streets and Seventh and Ninth Avenues saw over 15,000 crime complaints per year. The block of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues had 2,300 crimes per year in 1984, of which 20% were felonies. In this era, formerly elegant movie theaters began to show x-rated films , and peep shows hustlers were common. In 1984,
14910-409: The 2001–02 New Year's celebration. Approximately 500,000 revelers attended. Security was high following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, with more than 7,000 New York City police officers on duty in the Square, twice the number for an ordinary year. Times Square started hosting other major annual events in the 2000s. Since 2002, the summer solstice has been marked by "Mind over Madness",
15123-445: The 3,000 pounds of biodegradable confetti dropped at midnight, a tradition of which started in 1992. The New York City Department of Sanitation estimated that by 8 a.m. on New Year's Day 2014, it had cleared over 50 short tons (45 long tons; 45 t) of trash from the New Year's celebration, using 190 workers from their crews and the Times Square Alliance. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City during 2020 reduced
15336-601: The Allandale neighbourhood of Barrie, which ends shortly after at Essa Road. From that point, no other part of the highway any further north ever carried the Yonge Street name, and it makes several turns in Barrie itself as it follows various streets. At its terminus in Rainy River, Highway 11's street name is Atwood Avenue rather than Yonge Street. When the final leg of Highway 11 between Atikokan and Rainy River
15549-690: The Bradford-Barrie stretch being the only part of the later Highway 11 apart from the original section ever to be named Yonge). Work was completed by 1827, making connections with the Penetanguishene Road. In 1833, the legislature voted to " macadamise " some portions of the dirt road. The decision was made to withdraw the military garrison in Penetanguishene in 1852. A year later, the Northern Railway of Canada
15762-520: The Bradford–Barrie extension) through Barrie and south to Lake Ontario in Toronto, also known as Yonge Street , was decommissioned as a provincial highway in 1996 and 1997. From the late 1940s through the 1960s, numerous bypasses of towns along the route were built, including Orillia, Washago , Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , Emsdale , Powassan , Callander , North Bay, Cobalt , Haileybury , New Liskeard and Thunder Bay. Beginning in
15975-644: The Burk's Falls Bypass and a new alignment alongside the existing highway between Burk's Falls and Sundridge, were completed and opened together on August 8, 2012, completing the four laning between Barrie and North Bay. Overall, the project between Huntsville and Powassan required "16 new interchanges, 54 new bridges, 1.7 million cubic meters of rock excavation, 10.5 million cubic metres of earth excavation, 4.6 million tonnes of granular material applied and 500,000 tonnes of asphalt." Plans for four-laning Highway 11/17 from
16188-661: The East and Western sections of the region to unite in the heart of the GTA. Stretching through the center of the Greater Toronto Area, Yonge Street has transformed into a vital route, accommodating not only vehicular traffic but also serving as a central hub for transportation and commerce. The corridor is home to the Yonge-University Subway Line, serving Toronto,Vaughan, and soon Richmond Hill as
16401-617: The Ferguson Highway were assumed north of North Bay within Nipissing District , as well as 182.1 kilometres (113.2 mi) through Timiskaming District . Highway 11 grew in length from 154.2 kilometres (95.8 mi) to 1,024.0 kilometres (636.3 mi). Construction began in 1938 on a road to connect Highway 17 at Nipigon with the gold mines discovered near the town of Geraldton several years earlier. Although portions of this new road were passable by
16614-492: The Great White Way ". Times Square functions as a town square , but is not geometrically a square . It is closer in shape to a bowtie, with two triangles emanating roughly north and south from 45th Street, where Seventh Avenue intersects Broadway . Broadway similarly intersects other north–south avenues at Union Square , Madison Square , Herald Square , and Verdi Square , none of which are squares. The area
16827-556: The Lakehead Expressway to be built on the western edge of the twin cities of Port Arthur and Fort William (which amalgamated in 1970 to form Thunder Bay). Plans called for a 28.2 kilometres (17.5 mi) at-grade expressway from South of Arthur Street to meet Highway 11 and Highway 17 northeast of the cities. Work began in August 1965, with a contract for a 5 kilometres (3 mi) section of divided highway on
17040-547: The Midtown street grid. The pedestrian plaza project was originally opposed by local businesses, who thought that closing the street to cars would hurt business. The original seats put out for pedestrians were inexpensive multicolored plastic lawn chairs, a source of amusement to many New Yorkers; they lasted from the onset of the plaza transformation until August 14, 2009, when they were ceremoniously bundled together in an installation christened Now You See It, Now You Don't by
17253-538: The New York state government, had proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981. Four towers designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee were to be built around 42nd Street's intersections with Broadway and Seventh Avenue. These towers would have been redeveloped by George Klein of Park Tower Realty, though the Prudential Insurance Company of America joined
17466-479: The Noden Causeway, and reaches Fort Frances , where Highway 71 runs south across the U.S. border to International Falls . From here, Highway 11 shares a concurrency with Highway 71 for 37 kilometres (23 mi) until the latter branches north after Emo , while Highway 11 runs parallel to the border for 51 kilometres (32 mi) before ending at the town of Rainy River, where
17679-663: The Ontario– Minnesota border at Rainy River via Thunder Bay ; the road continues as Minnesota State Highway 72 across the Baudette–Rainy River International Bridge . North and west of North Bay (as well as for a short distance through Orillia ), Highway 11 forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway and is part of MOM's Way between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The original section of Highway 11 along Yonge Street
17892-453: The Radial truly fell into disuse. The last TYRR train north from Toronto ran on March 16, 1930. The line was then purchased by the townships north of the city and re-incorporated as North Yonge Railways , running service for another eighteen years before operations ended, along with service on numerous other portions of the Radial lines, in 1948. The space it formerly occupied was used to expand
18105-550: The Shabaqua Highway, encountering Kakabeka Falls several kilometers later. The highway then runs in a northwestern direction to Shabaqua Corners , where the two highways split; Highway 17 continues northwest to Dryden and Kenora , while Highway 11 continues in a generally west direction, eventually reaching Highway 11B at Atikokan , approximately halfway between Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The highway continues for 132 kilometres (82 mi), crosses
18318-628: The actual North York district municipal offices, the North York Central Library and the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. The street widens to a six-lane urban arterial road through North York Centre (although north of Sheppard Avenue the outer lanes are for parking outside of rush hours), passing inner-suburb transit hubs at Sheppard and Finch Avenues. From Finch Avenue to Stouffville Road (acquiring
18531-476: The area was so derelict and dilapidated, that the entire Times Square area paid the city only $ 6 million in property taxes (equivalent to $ 17.6 million in 2023). In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of Midtown as part of a long-term development plan developed under mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins . These included office buildings such as 1540 Broadway , 1585 Broadway , and 750 Seventh Avenue , as well as hotels such as
18744-426: The artist Jason Peters, and shortly afterward were replaced by sturdier metal furniture. Although the plaza had mixed results on traffic in the area, injuries to motorists and pedestrians decreased, fewer pedestrians were walking in the road, and the number of pedestrians in Times Square increased. On February 11, 2010, Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would become permanent. The city started rebuilding
18957-417: The beginning of the early 1990s recession , when 14.5 percent of Manhattan office space was vacant. Furthermore, some 9 × 10 ^ sq ft (840,000 m ) of office space in the western section of Midtown had been developed in the 1980s, of which only half had been leased. Consequently, 1540 Broadway was completely empty, while 1585 Broadway and 750 Seventh Avenue had one tenant each, despite
19170-496: The biggest electric sign "in the world," cost $ 9,000 per month to rent. Some contemporary critics, such as Thorstein Veblen and G. K. Chesterton , disliked the advertising at Times Square. Fritz Lang , after seeing Times Square in 1923, used it as inspiration for his dark industrial film Metropolis . Entertainment icons such as Irving Berlin , Charlie Chaplin , and Fred Astaire were closely associated with Times Square in
19383-429: The buildings having over 2 × 10 ^ sq ft (190,000 m ) of office space between them. Entertainment conglomerate Bertelsmann bought 1540 Broadway in 1992, spurring a revival of Times Square in the early 1990s. This was hastened when financial firm Morgan Stanley bought 1585 Broadway in 1993, followed by 750 Seventh Avenue in 1994. The Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), an agency of
19596-482: The busiest in the New York City Subway system, transporting more than 200,000 passengers daily. Formerly known as Longacre Square , Times Square was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the then newly erected Times Building, now One Times Square . It is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop , which began on December 31, 1907, and continues to attract over
19809-575: The case. The original historic alignment of Yonge Street diverges from the former Highway 11 (now York Regional 1) in East Gwillimbury , one kilometre north of Green Lane; at this junction, York Road 1 diverts northwest, while Yonge Street turns right at the intersection and then loops back to continue the straight alignment. It then continues, ending at Queensville Side Road in Holland Landing . Approximately 350 metres further west at
20022-423: The centre of Holland Landing with a northwest heading and thereby circumnavigating Cook's Bay and the lower Holland Marsh , through exurban areas en route to Bradford . The bypass was constructed in 1959. Regional Road 51 is the original route of the main section. Yonge Street branches off Regional Road 1 at the foot of the bypass to continue north through Holland Landing. This short section, known locally as
20235-481: The communities of Southern Ontario to those of Northern Ontario , as a continuous route from Toronto to North Bay . In 1919, Premier of Ontario Ernest Charles Drury created the Department of Public Highways (DPHO), though much of the responsibility for establishing the route he left to minister of the new cabinet position, Frank Campbell Biggs . By linking together several previously built roads such as Yonge Street , Penetanguishene Road , Middle Crossroad and
20448-482: The completion of a bypass alignment. All sections of Highway 11B have now been decommissioned by the province with the exception of the Atikokan route and the southernmost section of the former Tri-Town route between Cobalt and Highway 11. The earliest established section of Highway 11 is Yonge Street in Toronto and York Region , though it is no longer under provincial jurisdiction. Yonge Street
20661-442: The designation after writing and publishing a book about the history of the street. Earlier claims that Yonge was the longest street in the world also existed, with The Globe asserting it about the original Toronto to Lake Simcoe alignment in 1895, at a time when the rest of Highway 11 did not even exist yet, and later claiming in 1953 that Yonge was the longest street in the world because it purportedly extended to Cochrane , which
20874-618: The downtown core of the former suburban city of North York . North York Centre features numerous residential and office towers, most with ground-floor commercial uses, with some stretches of older two-storey buildings, many slated for redevelopment. Slightly under halfway up Yonge Street from Sheppard to Finch on the west side is the North York Civic Centre complex and the adjacent North York Centre office and retail towers. These lands contain Mel Lastman Square ,
21087-624: The early 1900s onwards, there were several proposals to build a subway for streetcars on Yonge Street, given the high demand for north–south travel within downtown Toronto. Following World War 2, the Toronto Transit Commission proposed a north–south subway line along the Yonge Street corridor between Union Station and Eglinton Avenue . Approved by voters in 1946, construction began in September 1949, with disruptive cut-and-cover construction on Yonge Street taking place between College Avenue and Front Street. The Yonge Subway
21300-460: The east is noted for its opulent residences. The area is marked by the historic North Toronto railway station , formerly served by the Canadian Pacific Railway and now the location of a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store. The CPR route parallels the foot of the Iroquois shoreline escarpment, which Yonge Street ascends here toward Midtown . Development along Yonge to St. Clair Avenue
21513-467: The eastbound lanes, from Ouimet Canyon Road to Dorion Loop Road, are scheduled to open by the end of the year. On April 9, 2022, the province announced a $ 107-million contract to twin and realign 13.2 kilometres (8.2 mi) of Highway 11/17 from the end of the existing four lane route near Highway 587 to Pearl . Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2022 and be completed in 2026. The remaining 34 kilometres (21 mi) are in
21726-483: The end of 1939, the Nipigon–Geraldton Highway was opened ceremoniously by Thomas McQuesten and C. D. Howe on September 7, 1940; it was assumed as a provincial highway in 1941. With the onset of World War II, the need for an east–west connection across Canada became imperative, and construction began on a link between Geraldton and Hearst, a distance of 247 kilometres (153 mi) in 1939. Due to
21939-673: The end of that year between Novar and south of Emsdale. In 2003, a major failure of the Sgt. Aubrey Cosens VC Memorial Bridge at the Montreal River in Latchford caused a complete closure and significant detour. A temporary one-lane Bailey bridge , which opened two weeks after the incident, was constructed to carry traffic on the highway; due to the expected water levels on the Montreal River once ice and snow began to melt in
22152-652: The end of the Thunder Bay Expressway northeast to Nipigon, including the Nipigon River Bridge , were first announced in December 1989. The corridor was divided into four segments, and an Environmental Study Report (ESR) was published for each in 1996 or 1997. While the MTO designated the corridor—a mix of twinning the existing highway and a new alignment—in 2003, funding wasn't committed to
22365-497: The entire route from Nipigon to Rainy River is a two-lane, undivided road, with the exception of two twinned, four-lane segments approaching Thunder Bay . The first starts just west of Nipigon and ends just north of the Black Sturgeon River, for a distance of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The second portion reaches a distance of 36 kilometres (22 mi), from Highway 587 at Pass Lake to Balsam Street in Thunder Bay . Work
22578-484: The event of a wire failure. On October 30, 2004, another 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of four-laning was opened between the south end of the Trout Creek Bypass and north of South River . To the south, a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) bypass of Emsdale opened the week of October 21, 2005, with a portion of the original Emsdale Bypass (constructed in 1956) remaining as Highway 518 . This left
22791-506: The exception of a portion south of Gravenhurst that may potentially be constructed to the east of the current road. The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 11, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario . Interchanges are numbered between Barrie and North Bay. Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in
23004-516: The existing buildings. In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District , or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area. In 1998, the alliance opened a tourist information center in the former Embassy Theatre at 1560 Broadway;
23217-440: The existing four lane route, and; 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) through Nipigon, between Stillwater Creek and First Street. Highway 11 between Barrie and Gravenhurst is currently a right-in/right-out (RIRO) expressway (local access permitted, turnarounds via special interchanges), except for a section around Orillia which is a full freeway. Another freeway section (formerly Highway 400A) does exist in Barrie with
23430-409: The existing highway from Birch Beach Road to Highway 587 near Loon , and an $ 84.8 million contract to construct a new 9.7-kilometre (6.0 mi) alignment from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek near Nipigon. Construction began on the former in October, and on the latter by the end of June. The section from Birch Beach Road to Highway 587 was completed on September 1, 2017, while
23643-424: The existing two lane highway between Powassan and McGillvray Creek opened in September 1997. This was followed in October 1999 with the opening of another 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) of twinning from McGillvray Creek south to Hummel Line, north of Trout Creek . In the early 2000s, several more sections were completed at both the north and south end of the remaining two lane highway. A 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section
23856-487: The first half of the 19th century, it became one of the prized possessions of John Jacob Astor , who made a second fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estate concerns as the city rapidly spread uptown . By 1872, the area had become the center of New York's horse carriage industry. The locality had not previously been given a name, and city authorities called it Longacre Square after Long Acre in London, where
24069-455: The following day and repairs began; both lanes were reopened on February 25, 2016. The failure caused a significant delay in the construction of the northern span, which did not open until November 23, 2018, The 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) of approaches at each end were completed in 2019. On June 10, 2015, the province announced the awarding of two contracts: A $ 32.7 million contract awarded to twin 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of
24282-409: The freeway segment from the southern terminus ending at Penetanguishene Road (Simcoe County Road 93). The MTO is currently planning on either converting the existing RIRO expressway to a full six-lane freeway or bypassing it with an entirely new alignment. An environmental and fiscal study concluded that the improvements from Barrie to Gravenhurst will involve the existing route being widened with
24495-654: The government of Ontario prepares for the construction of the Yonge North Subway Extension. In addition, the Yonge Street Rapidway located North of Toronto, is a comprehensive BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) in York Region allowing for convenient access to Finch Subway Station , in Toronto. Moreover, Yonge Street hosts numerous modes of public transportation, which connects people to major infrastructure spanning over 30 kilometres. From
24708-517: The highway makes a sharp curve to the east, then becomes a divided freeway before curving northward around Gull Lake . Near Bracebridge, it meets Highway 118 and former Highway 117 . Highway 141 branches west from the route between Bracebridge and Huntsville, while Highway 60 branches east towards Algonquin Park in Huntsville. The section between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge
24921-568: The highway turned north at 11th Line, then east at East Oro along Sideroad 15/16. That year also saw paving completed from Washago to north of Gravenhurst . The following year, the newly-renamed Department of Highways (DHO) paved the remaining 13 kilometres between Barrie and Guthrie, while the DND paved the Muskoka Road from Gravenhurst to Huntsville. The final 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) of unpaved road between Barrie and Orillia
25134-701: The horse and carriage trade was centered in that city. William Henry Vanderbilt owned and ran the American Horse Exchange there. In 1910, it became the Winter Garden Theatre. As more profitable commerce and industrialization of Lower Manhattan pushed homes, theaters, and prostitution northward from the Tenderloin District , Longacre Square became nicknamed the Thieves Lair for its rollicking reputation as
25347-510: The importance of Yonge Street, as the new Dominion of Canada heralded the construction of east–west trade routes spanning the continent. By the 1870s, Henry Scadding , author of Toronto of Old , declared that Penetanguishene did not have the importance to need an approach such as the "extension of the Yonge Street Road." During the late 1800s, the Toronto and York Radial Railway used the Yonge Street right-of-way , originally to
25560-718: The information center operated until 2014. In the mid-1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led an effort to clean up the area, an effort that is described by Steve Macek in Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right, and the Moral Panic Over the City : Security was increased, pornographic theatres were closed, and "undesirable" low-rent residents were pressured to relocate, and then more tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments were opened. Advocates of
25773-522: The largest gathering in Times Square since August 1945 during celebrations marking the end of World War II . On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square, and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford Crystal ball being lowered on
25986-490: The location for a new naval base and port. On his return, he met with an Ojibway named 'Old Sail' and was shown a new route along another arm of the trail, this one starting on the eastern branch of the Holland River and thereby avoiding the marshes of the western branch (today's Holland Marsh ). They left Pine Fort on October 11 and reached York on the 15th. Simcoe selected this eastern route for his new road, moving
26199-531: The location of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake ), the first and former capital of Upper Canada, was in danger of being attacked by the Americans from the nearby border. Additionally, U.S. forces could easily sever British access to the upper lakes at Lake St. Clair or the Detroit River , cutting the colony off from the important trading post at Michilimackinac . Simcoe planned to move the capital to
26412-464: The map inlay has now been removed. Interestingly, the true longest named street in the world may be another street originating in Toronto; Dundas Street . It runs west from the city (crossing Yonge) to London, Ontario ; with that name throughout most of its length, including at both ends. It was conceived and constructed as a single street, although it has several bypasses and discontinuous sections today. In 2008, Toronto's first pedestrian scramble
26625-400: The name Yonge Street ends. Although current tourist campaigns do not make much of Yonge Street's length, its status as an urban myth was bolstered by an art installation at the foot of Yonge Street and a map of its purported length laid out into the sidewalk in bronze at the southwest corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets. However, possibly due to wider recognition of the street's actual length,
26838-427: The new settlement of Bradford before turning north towards Barrie. Work was completed by 1827, making connections with the Penetanguishene Road. A network of colonization roads built in the 1830s (some with military strategy in mind) pushed settlement northeast along the shores of Lake Simcoe and north towards the shores of Georgian Bay. Construction of the Muskoka Road began by the 1860s. The road, which penetrated
27051-483: The newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper on 42nd Street at Longacre Square, on the site of the former Pabst Hotel , which had existed on the site for less than a decade since it opened in November 1899. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed "Times Square" on April 8, 1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on
27264-573: The next decade, which were later incorporated into the modern four-lane route. A bypass of Bracebridge opened July 1, 1953. The North Bay bypass was completed in 1953, while bypasses of Emsdale and Powassan were completed 1956 and 1957, respectively. Construction of the Huntsville Bypass began in 1957; it opened November 27, 1959. The original Callander Bypass, which is now divided into Callander Bay Drive and part of Highway 93 , also opened in October 1959. Further north,
27477-513: The north side of Barrie, travelling northeast parallel to the northwestern shore of Lake Simcoe . The four-lane route, divided by a median barrier , crosses former Highway 93 (Penetanguishene Road) and passes through a generally flat rural area, though businesses line both sides of the route. At the northern end of Lake Simcoe, the highway enters Orillia, where it is built as a divided freeway. It meets and becomes concurrent with Highway 12 for 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi). At Laclie Drive,
27690-558: The northern end in 1816. For several years the Holland River and Lake Simcoe provided the only means of transportation; Holland Landing was the northern terminus of Yonge Street. The military route to Georgian Bay prior to, and during the War of 1812 , crossed Lake Simcoe to the head of Kempenfelt Bay, then by the Nine Mile Portage to Willow Creek and the Nottawasaga River . The Penetanguishene Military Post
27903-450: The number of people traveling to Times Square. About 108,000 pedestrians visited Times Square each day in late 2020 compared to the 380,000 before the pandemic. From March to October 2020, 26 of the area's 46 hotels closed, as well as 39 of 151 stores and 84 of 162 restaurants. Times Square was closed to the public for New Year's Day 2021 and observers were dispersed into enclosures measuring 8 by 8 ft (2.4 by 2.4 m). Times Square
28116-452: The official opening, a section between Swastika and Ramore wasn't opened until August. The Ferguson Highway name was also applied to the Muskoka Road between Severn Bridge and North Bay. Although the route from North Bay to Cochrane was passable, it was not an adequate road in many places. Construction continued for several years to build bypasses of sharp turns, steep grades , awkward rail crossings, and other obstacles. The Ferguson Highway
28329-407: The old bridge closed. It was subsequently demolished to allow the construction of the northern span to carry eastbound traffic, which was scheduled for 2017. However, on January 10, 2016, the bridge experienced a significant structural failure in which the deck raised 60 centimetres (2 ft), severing the only highway connection between eastern and western Canada. A single lane was reopened
28542-415: The outdoors smoking ban to the area. The measure imposed a $ 50 fine for any person caught smoking within the area. From January 29 to February 1, 2014, a "Super Bowl Boulevard" was held on Broadway, especially in Times Square, between 34th and 47th Streets, as part of Super Bowl XLVIII . The boulevard contained activities such as autographs, a 60 ft (18 m)-high toboggan run , and photographs with
28755-499: The plaza in 2010, hiring the design and landscaping firm Snøhetta to permanently replace Broadway's roadway with custom-made granite pavers and benches. By December 2013, the first phase of the Times Square pedestrian plaza had been completed at the southern end of the square in time for the Times Square Ball drop on New Year's Eve. The project was originally intended to be completed by the end of 2015. The entire project
28968-466: The project in 1986. Furthermore, as part of the West Midtown special zoning district created in 1982, the New York City government had allowed new buildings in Times Square to be developed with an increased floor area ratio. To ensure the area would not be darkened at nightfall, the city passed zoning regulations that encouraged developers to add large, bright signs on their buildings. In 1990,
29181-463: The project until the late 2000s. In early-to-mid 2009, the provincial government announced the first of several contracts to expand the highway, starting from the Thunder Bay end. Construction on the 4.4-kilometre (2.7 mi), $ 42-million contract began in August 2010, from west of Hodder Avenue to Highway 527 . The westbound lanes opened the weekend of August 6, 2011; the existing highway
29394-500: The proposal. In June 2016, work started on "pedestrian flow zones" where no one was allowed to loiter, as well as "activity zones" where costumed characters were allowed to perform. There have been several incidents in Times Square: Times Square is the most visited place globally with 360,000 pedestrian visitors a day, amounting to over 131 million a year. As of 2013 , it had a greater attendance than each of
29607-555: The proposed buildings, led government officials to allow Prudential and Park Tower to postpone the project in 1992. By then, Prudential had spent $ 300 million on condemning the sites through eminent domain . The partners retained the right to develop the sites in the future, and the ESDC's zoning guidelines remained in effect. In exchange for being permitted to delay construction of the sites until 2002, Prudential and Park Tower were compelled to add stores and install large signage on
29820-602: The region on April 1, 1996. This was followed up a year later with the transfer of 27.3 kilometres (17.0 mi) of the highway within Simcoe County south of Crown Hill on April 1, 1997. Along with the name Yonge Street, the section in York Region is now York Regional Road 1, while the section in Simcoe County is now mostly Simcoe County Road 4. Within the Cities of Toronto and Barrie it
30033-553: The rest of Ontario's Highway 11 . The street (including the Bradford-to-Barrie extension) is only 86 kilometres (53 mi) long. Due to provincial downgrading in the 1990s, no section of Yonge Street is marked as a provincial highway. Its construction has been designated as an Event of National Historic Significance in Canada. Yonge Street was integral to the original planning and settlement of western Upper Canada in
30246-449: The right to acquire the sites at the southwest and southeast corners of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue for $ 330 million. 5 Times Square was completed on the southwest-corner site in 2002, and Times Square Tower opened on the southeast-corner site in 2004. Times Square now boasts attractions such as ABC 's Times Square Studios , where Good Morning America is broadcast live; competing Hershey's and M&M's stores across
30459-432: The road between Aurora and Newmarket. The Yonge Street corridor has evolved significantly over the past century, and is currently seeing a new wave of mixed-use high rise developments. The everlasting construction of office buildings, high-rise residential towers, along with a variety of shops populating the major corridor across the towns and cities it traverses. This unique and extensive built-form encourages residents from
30672-480: The road network became apparent following a rail strike in August 1950, during which a "mercy train" was delivered to the isolated town. Throughout the fall of 1950, various delegates pressed the provincial government to construct a road link immediately. The province announced plans for the new highway between Atikokan and Shebandowan the following August, and released the proposed route on October 10; construction began shortly thereafter. The Atikokan Highway
30885-414: The roadway continues into Baudette, Minnesota , and ends at Minnesota State Route 11. Highway 11B is the designation for business routes of Highway 11, ten of which have existed over the years. Two continue to exist today, while the remaining eight have been decommissioned . With the exception of the short spur route into Atikokan , all were once the route of Highway 11 prior to
31098-441: The route around Thornhill . However, the settlement was hit by a series of setbacks and road construction stalled. Work on the road started again in 1795 when the Queen's Rangers took over. They began their work at Eglinton Avenue and proceeded north, reaching the site of St. Albans on 16 February 1796. Expansion of the trail into a road was a condition of settlement for farmers along the route, who were required to spend 12 days
31311-482: The route exits Orillia and returns to a RIRO design with rural surroundings. It travels northward along the western shore of Lake Couchiching as far as Washago , then crosses the Severn River / Trent Severn Waterway . North of the Severn River, Highway 11 travels through the Canadian Shield ; large granite outcroppings are frequent and thick Boreal forest dominates the terrain. At Gravenhurst,
31524-436: The route had been extended southward from Arthur Street to Neebing Avenue / Walsh Street West. At this time, Highway 11 and 17 and Highway 61 were rerouted along the completed expressway. The old routes through Thunder Bay were redesignated as Highway 11B / 17B and Highway 61B . While Highway 11 was extended farther north and west between the 1920s and 1960s, numerous projects took place along
31737-505: The route include Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst , Bracebridge , Huntsville , North Bay, Temiskaming Shores , Cochrane , Kapuskasing , Hearst, Nipigon, Thunder Bay, Atikokan, Fort Frances and Rainy River. It is often paired with Yonge Street in the persistent but incorrect factoid that Yonge Street is the longest street in the world , a claim that was featured in the book of Guinness World Records from 1977 to 1998. Highway 11 begins at an interchange with Highway 400 on
31950-407: The route of his new road. The following spring, he instructed Deputy Surveyor General Augustus Jones to blaze a small trail marking the route. Simcoe initiated construction of the road by granting land to settlers, who in exchange were required to clear 33 feet (10 m) of frontage on the road passing their lot . In the summer of 1794, William Berczy was the first to take up the offer, leading
32163-448: The route were constructed before the highway was designated. At the time, it only extended between Toronto and north of Orillia . In 1937, the route was extended to Hearst , northwest of Timmins . The route was extended to Nipigon by 1943. In 1965, Highway 11 was extended to Rainy River, bringing it to its maximum length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). The southernmost leg, an 86-kilometre (53 mi) section (including
32376-418: The safety of the area. The theatres of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have been one of New York's iconic images as well as a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Since 1987 such signage has been mandated by zoning ordinances that require building owners to display illuminated signs, the only district in New York City with this requirement. The neighborhood has
32589-508: The same year. Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11 , commonly referred to as Highway 11 , is a provincially-maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario . At 1,784.9 kilometres (1,109.1 mi), it is the second-longest highway in the province, after Highway 17 . Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie and arches through northern Ontario to
32802-621: The second joining Lake Simcoe with Georgian Bay . This would allow overland transport to the upper lakes, bypassing U.S. strongholds. The route from Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe is still known as Yonge Street, and the second leg to Georgian Bay was long known as the Penetanguishene Road . Before the construction of Yonge Street, a portage route, the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail , had already linked Lakes Ontario and Simcoe. On September 25, 1793, Simcoe and
33015-581: The section from Red Rock Road No. 9 to Stillwater Creek was completed in September 2019. On March 29, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced that it was extending its 110-kilometre-per-hour (68 mph) speed limit increase, on a trial basis, to the section of Highway 11 from north of Katrine to north of South River. Work is ongoing or upcoming to twin or realign the remaining 55 kilometres (34 mi) of two-laned Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. On December 8, 2020,
33228-516: The sections between Barrie and Cochrane during that period to either realign the highway to improve the geometry, or to bypass built up areas. The largest bottleneck along the highway in the 1940s was between Washago and through Gravenhurst, where construction began in 1947 to realign 23 kilometres (14 mi) between the two towns, including a new high-level bridge over the Trent–Severn Waterway . The original bypass of Gravenhurst, along what
33441-441: The shores of Lake Simcoe. By 1860 the Muskoka Road penetrated the southern skirts of the Canadian Shield , advancing towards Lake Nipissing . The government of Upper Canada had a limited tax base and a vast area to settle, so they asked private individuals to build and maintain roads in exchange for the right to toll wayfarers. This was a commonplace arrangement at the time: For example, a 13-km stretch of Davenport Road between
33654-413: The shortage of labour, several prison camps were established between the two communities in October of that year and work began to clear a tote road for the movement of supplies over the following winter. While the highway was completed in November 1942, it was not maintained during through the winter, and the official opening did not take place until June 12, 1943. Following this, Highway 11
33867-585: The side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway. The north end later became Duffy Square, and the former Horse Exchange became the Winter Garden Theatre , constructed in 1911. The New York Times moved to more spacious offices one block west of the square in 1913 and sold the building in 1961. The old Times Building was later named the Allied Chemical Building in 1963. Now known simply as One Times Square , it
34080-466: The site at the northeast corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, and he developed 4 Times Square there. The northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street was taken by Reuters , which enlisted Rudin Management as its development partner and built 3 Times Square on that corner; that building opened in 2001. In 1998, a joint venture of Klein, The Blackstone Group , and Boston Properties won
34293-405: The site of St. Albans on February 16, 1796. Expansion of the trail into a road was a condition of settlement for farmers along the route, who were required to spend 12 days a year to clear the road of logs, subsequently removed by convicted drunks as part of their sentence. The southern end of the road was in use in the first decade of the 19th century, and became passable all the way to
34506-525: The site of one of the last of the former toll gates. The lower-density residential community and park-like setting here represent an interlude between North Toronto and the newer high-rise district beyond, towering over the valley. Canada's busiest section of highway ( Highway 401 ) spans the valley via the Hogg's Hollow Bridge (exit 369). Leaving the valley north of Highway 401, densities and traffic both significantly increase on entering North York City Centre ,
34719-812: The southern edge of the central business district , is the Dominion Public Building , the Meridian Hall and the Hockey Hall of Fame , the latter housed in a former Bank of Montreal office, once Canada's largest bank branch. Beyond Front Street, the road passes through the east side of the Financial District , which holds many of Canada's tallest buildings, and passes an entrance to the Allen Lambert Galleria . Between Front and Queen Streets , Yonge Street
34932-650: The southern end from the Rouge River to the western outskirts of the settled area in York, and the northern end to a proposed new town on the Holland River, St. Albans. The road was actually called Concession 1 at first with Concessions 2 etc. on either side. For instance Concession 1 Whitchurch Township faces Yonge St. and goes east to Concession 2, which starts at Bayview Ave. Concession 1 King Township faces Yonge St. and goes west to Concession 2, which starts at Bathurst St. There are 10 concessions in York County going east and west from Concession 1, Yonge Street. The east side ending at then-Ontario County, now Durham Region, and
35145-406: The southern skirts of the Canadian Shield and advanced towards Lake Nipissing , reached as far as Bracebridge by 1861, and to Huntsville by 1863. It was officially opened when it reached Lake Nipissing in 1874. Further extensions into Northern Ontario would await the arrival of the automobile, and consequent need for highway networks. Highway 11 was initially planned as a trunk road to connect
35358-451: The spring, however, a second temporary bridge then had to be constructed for the duration of the original bridge's reconstruction. According to the Ministry of Transportation's final report, the failure was caused by a fatigue fracture of three steel hanger rods on the northwest side of the bridge. Following reconstruction, the bridge resumed service in 2005. Each hanger rod was replaced with four cable wires, to provide greater stability in
35571-508: The street as well. Sections of the street are often closed for other events, such as an annual street festival. In 1999 Ricky Martin held an autograph session at Sunrise Records and had a large section of the street closed for the day. The intersection of Yonge and Dundas Streets, centred on the plaza at Yonge-Dundas Square , has been closed on occasion to host free concerts, including performances by R.E.M. on 17 May 2001, by Beyoncé on 15 September 2006 and by John Mayer on 16 September of
35784-433: The street from each other, and multiple multiplex movie theaters. Additionally, the area contains restaurants such as the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company , a seafood establishment; Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar , a theme restaurant ; and Carmine's, serving Italian cuisine . It has also attracted several large financial, publishing, and media firms to set up headquarters in the area. A larger presence of police has improved
35997-402: The street is part of the old town of Yorkville , today a major shopping district extending west of Yonge Street along Cumberland and Bloor streets. North of Yorkville, densities and traffic decrease somewhat and the speed limit increases slightly (to 50 km/h, which it remains for most of its urban length) as Yonge Street forms the main street of Summerhill , which together with Rosedale to
36210-402: The street will be closed to vehicular traffic. Streetcars on routes crossing Yonge in that area (Carlton, Dundas, Queen, King) during those celebrations will often have to cease operations a few hundred metres east or west of Yonge Street due to the crowds. In recent times, these celebrations particularly occurred after the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series of Baseball in 1992 and 1993, when
36423-402: The summer of 1925. The new route was mostly unpaved, with work beginning in 1922 to improve the roadway. That year saw paving completed between Yonge Boulevard and Thornhill, as well as a bypass of the original route through Holland Landing (now known as York Regional Road 83). The pavement was extended farther north from Thornhill to Richmond Hill the following year. By 1925, the route
36636-418: The town of Holland Landing eventually grew up on the site, a somewhat more descriptive name. Holland Landing was settled by Quakers who moved into the area after having left the United States in the aftermath of the American Revolution . The settlers were branching out from their initial town of "Upper Yonge Street", which later became Newmarket . The road almost served its original military purpose during
36849-399: The town of North Toronto, but expanding over the years all the way to Sutton, on southern Lake Simcoe. The Radial Railway ran along the eastern side of the street, allowing the prevailing westerly winds to remove snow from the slightly raised rails. The arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway in 1906 lessened traffic on the Radial, but it was not until Yonge became a major route for cars that
37062-453: The two highways share a concurrency for 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the Algonquin Avenue intersection, where Highway 17 continues west toward Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie while Highway 11 turns north onto Algonquin Avenue. Due to a steep incline as it descends Thibeault Hill into North Bay, the southbound Algonquin Avenue segment of Highway 11 features the only runaway truck ramp on Ontario's highway system, which
37275-437: The west side ending at Peel County (now Peel Region). The following spring, Simcoe instructed Deputy Surveyor General Augustus Jones to blaze a small trail marking the route. Simcoe initiated construction of the road by granting land to settlers, who in exchange were required to clear 33 feet of frontage on the road passing their lot . Certain seasons saw the muddy sidewalks of York in deplorable condition, and Yonge Street
37488-468: The west side of the street from Gerrard Street north to College Street . It was converted into a residential and commercial complex after the building of the Eaton Centre. From College Street north to Bloor Street , Yonge Street serves smaller street-level retail, mostly in two- to three-storey buildings of a hundred years' vintage. The businesses here, unlike the large chains that dominate south of Gerrard Street, are mostly small independent shops and serve
37701-429: The west side of the twin cities. The first section of the expressway opened on August 29, 1967, connecting Oliver Road (then part of Highway 130 ) and Golf Links Road with Dawson Road ( Highway 102 ). By mid- to late 1969, the route had been extended to Highway 527 northeast of the twin cities and to Highway 11 and Highway 17 (Arthur Street) at the Harbour Expressway . By late 1970,
37914-525: The western side of Algonquin Park. It also connects to Highway 518 at Emsdale , Highway 520 at Burk's Falls , Highway 124 at Sundridge and South River , Highway 522 at Trout Creek , Highway 534 at Powassan , and Highway 94 and Highway 654 at Callander . Most of this section is built to freeway standards, although a small number of at-grade intersections remain, primarily between Trout Creek and Callander. From its junction with Highway 17 at North Bay,
38127-557: The world's busiest pedestrian areas, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world's entertainment industry . Times Square is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days. The Times Square–42nd Street and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal stations have consistently ranked as
38340-414: The world. Running (mostly) concurrent with Yonge as far north as Barrie, then continuing beyond through central and northern Ontario to the Ontario– Minnesota border at Rainy River , the highway was over 1,896 kilometres (1,178 mi) long. But Yonge Street could only be called the longest street in the world if it were fully synonymous with Highway 11 over the highway's entire length, which has never been
38553-440: Was announced on March 31, 1966, and construction began in the spring of 1967. The new bypass was completed and opened in late 1970. By 1971, Highway 11 was a four lane divided highway from Orillia to the northern interchange with Bethune Drive in Gravenhurst, and work was underway on twinning the highway between Gravenhurst and then- Highway 117 (now Highway 118 ), north of Bracebridge; That project
38766-474: Was assumed by the DHO through Cochrane District . This was followed one week later when 80.5 kilometres (50.0 mi) of the Muskoka Road through the District of Muskoka were assumed on June 9. A 96.7 kilometres (60.1 mi) portion of the route, which included a portion of what is now Highway 94 to connect to the Dionne quintuplets , was assumed through Parry Sound District on June 16. On June 30, 136.9 kilometres (85.1 mi) of
38979-402: Was built along this established route, between Toronto and Kempenfelt Bay and extended to Collingwood by 1855. Settlement along the Penetanguishene Road pre-dated the road itself. Subsequent extensions of Yonge Street (though never named as such) which later became the more northerly parts of Highway 11, built in the 1830s (some with military strategy in mind), pushed settlement northeast along
39192-437: Was built under the order of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario), John Graves Simcoe . Fearing imminent attack by the United States, he sought to create a military route between York (now Toronto) and Lake Simcoe . In doing so, he would create an alternative means of reaching the upper Great Lakes and the trading post at Michilimackinac , bypassing the American border. In late 1793, Simcoe determined
39405-422: Was carried out over the next five years. The final link, the 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) Noden Causeway over Rainy Lake , was opened on June 28, 1965, after which Highway 11 was extended to Rainy River and the American border. Highway 11 was now at its peak length of 1,882.2 kilometres (1,169.5 mi). In 1963, Charles MacNaughton, minister of the Department of Highways, announced plans for
39618-468: Was ceremonially opened by premier Leslie Frost on August 13, 1954, although traffic had used the incomplete road beginning in November 1953. At that event, which saw him use an axe to cut a ribbon, Frost announced the future vision to extend the new route to Fort Frances. Despite the opening, work was ongoing to improve the existing road between the end of the new highway at Shebandowan and Highway 17 at Shabaqua Corners . Initially this road
39831-411: Was cleared by April 1925, after which construction began in August from both North Bay as well as Cobalt. The new gravel highway was officially opened on July 2, 1927, by Minister of Lands and Forests William Finlayson . He suggested at the opening that the road be named the Ferguson Highway in honour of premier Ferguson. The name was originally suggested by North Bay mayor Dan Barker. Despite
40044-412: Was colloquially known as "Main Street Ontario" and was one of the first roads in what would later become Ontario. It was devised as an overland military route between York (Toronto) and Penetanguishene . Yonge Street serves as the east–west divide throughout York Region and Toronto. Highway 11 became a provincial highway in 1920 when the network was formed, although many of the roads that make up
40257-459: Was completed by 1974. Between then and 1979, widening was completed to 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) north of Highway 141 at Stephenson Road 12 along the existing route of Highway 11, and underway for another 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) to the southern end of the Huntsville Bypass. In 1996 and 1997, the care (or rescinding of Connecting Link agreements) of Highway 11 from Barrie southwards, including all of Yonge Street,
40470-422: Was completed by the end of 1965. Construction continued north of Severn River, with a 7.1-kilometre (4.4 mi) section—including a second bridge over the Severn River—opening as far north as Kahshe Lake in October 1966. Construction on the next 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) from Kahshe Lake to south of Gravenhurst began that year. The current 6.8-kilometre (4.2 mi) bypass of Gravenhurst, crossing Gull Lake,
40683-444: Was completed in 1931. Throughout the 1910s and early 1920s, various chambers of commerce, rotary clubs and boards of trade petitioned the government to construct a new trunk road from North Bay towards the mining communities to the north that were established in the prior decades. These delegations and committees also saw the potential tourist draw of opening the Temagami area to hunters, fishers, and recreational tourism. By 1923,
40896-435: Was completed in 1965, the Rainy River Chamber of Commerce responded with a publicity stunt requesting that Toronto change the name of Yonge Street to Atwood Avenue so that the highway could have the same street name at both ends, but this did not occur. The claim was first added by the Guinness Book of Records in 1977 at the request of Toronto writer Jay Myers, supplanting Figueroa Street in Los Angeles . Myers had sought
41109-432: Was dedicated in June 1939 to honor World War I chaplain Father Francis P. Duffy of the 69th New York Infantry Regiment . A statue by Charles Keck was dedicated in May 1937 as a memorial to Duffy. There is also a statue of composer and entertainer George M. Cohan , and the TKTS discount ticket booth for same-day Broadway and off-Broadway theaters that has been at the site since June 1973. When Manhattan Island
41322-411: Was designated as Highway 120 . In 1959, it was decided to make this new link a westward extension of Highway 11. On April 1, 1960, Highway 11 assumed the route of Highway 120; this consequently created a concurrency of Highway 11 and 17 between Nipigon and west of Thunder Bay. Now reaching as far as Atikokan, construction of a road between there and Fort Frances
41535-409: Was extended from Cochrane to Kapuskasing by 1930, and later to Hearst in 1932. The Provincial Highway Network was radically overhauled in 1937, when the DND merged with the DHO on April 1. Consequently, the DHO assumed responsibility of roads north of the Trent–Severn Waterway over the next several months. On June 2, 339.2 kilometres (210.8 mi) of the Ferguson Highway
41748-408: Was extended to Nipigon, and was 1,421.1 kilometres (883.0 mi) long. Highway 11 ended at Nipigon until the late 1950s, after construction of a new highway west from Thunder Bay towards Fort Frances began. During World War II, large deposits of iron ore were discovered at Steep Rock Lake , around which the town of Atikokan was developed. The need to connect the burgeoning community to
41961-501: Was finally completed just before New Year's Eve 2016. Some safety bollards were also installed as part of the renovation to prevent vehicular attacks or collisions on the sidewalk. After a 2017 vehicle-ramming attack , there were calls to install more bollards along Times Square. Times Square's pedestrian plaza is frequented by topless women (with painted breasts) called " desnudas ", as well as costumed characters , who typically panhandle for tips. The pedestrian plaza became
42174-468: Was first lit on December 4, 2008. The new 20 Times Square development hosts the largest LED signage in Times Square at 18,000 square feet. The display is 1,000 square feet larger than the Times Square Walgreens display and one of the largest video-capable screens in the world. In 2002, New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani administered the oath of office to the city's next mayor, Michael Bloomberg , at Times Square after midnight on January 1 as part of
42387-408: Was first settled by the Dutch colonists , three small streams united near what is now the intersection of 10th Avenue and 40th Street . These three streams formed the "Great Kill" (Dutch: Grote Kil ). From there the Great Kill wound through the low-lying Reed Valley, known for fish and waterfowl, and emptied into a deep bay in the Hudson River at the present 42nd Street. The name was retained in
42600-476: Was later extended as a bypass was added, curving off the original alignment. A second bypass was later constructed, bypassing the entirety of Holland Landing Road and joining Bradford at Bridge Street. At its intersection with 8th Line in Bradford, the former Highway 11 route does pick up the name Yonge again (the only stretch of the former highway aside from the original Yonge Street to carry it), retaining it through Innisfil until transitioning into Burton Avenue in
42813-556: Was opened at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas Streets . On April 23, 2018, a driver intentionally struck numerous pedestrians , killing 11 and injuring 15 others. The attack started at the intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue and proceeded south along the sidewalks of Yonge Street to near Sheppard Avenue . As Toronto's main street, Yonge hosts parades, street performances, and protests. After major sporting victories thousands of people will gather on its downtown portions, particularly near Dundas Square , to celebrate, and
43026-411: Was opened in 1954 as Canada's first subway line at a cost of $ 59m. The line has subsequently been extended several times, most recently to Vaughan , York Region in 2017. The line – now Line 1 Yonge–University – is the busiest subway line in Canada, and one of the busiest in North America. Yonge Street was formerly a part of Highway 11 , which led to claims that Yonge Street was the longest street in
43239-409: Was opened in September 2001 north of the Huntsville Bypass to south of Novar , mostly along a new alignment alongside the existing highway. On October 3, 2002, the southbound lanes of the 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) Trout Creek Bypass, a new alignment around that town, were opened, followed by the northbound lanes two weeks later. An additional 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) of twinning was completed by
43452-456: Was paved from Toronto north to Fennell , as well as between Orillia and Washago . An additional 5 kilometres (3 mi) north from Fennell were paved in 1926. In 1927, the pavement between Toronto and Barrie was completed with the paving of approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) south from Barrie. Between Barrie and Orillia, paving began in 1929, with the completion of approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) east from Guthrie ; at that point
43665-408: Was purchased at auction by James Beatty and his Toronto Road Company for £75,100. Beatty was out of pocket in September 1863, and the legislature once more assumed control until April 1865, when it was able to pass control (also at auction) to York County Council for $ 72,500. The tolls in effect in 1875 ranged from 1 cent for each pig, sheep, or goat to 10 cents for every vehicle with a load drawn by
43878-559: Was rebuilt as a divided highway in the early 2010s and work continues. The two-lane Nipigon River Bridge was replaced with a twin-span bridge that opened in 2018, following a structural failure in 2016. Highway 11 varies between a divided four-lane urban freeway and a two-lane rural road. It travels through surroundings ranging from cities to farmland to the uninhabited wilderness. The section through northern Ontario includes several sections with no gas or service for over 160 kilometres (100 mi). Significant urban centres serviced by
44091-432: Was renowned as being particularly bad, making it difficult to transport loads along it. The first Toronto resident known to have introduced sidewalks was Jesse Ketchum , who used tanned bark. In the summer of 1794, William Berczy was the first to take up the offer, leading a group of 64 families northeast of Toronto to found the town of German Mills , in modern Markham . By the end of 1794, Berczy's settlers had cleared
44304-463: Was routed along Yonge Street, its extension to the Penetanguishene Road, and the Muskoka Road as far as the Severn River . The portions of Yonge Street through what is now York Region , as well as Toronto as far south as Yonge Boulevard, were assumed by the DPHO on June 24, 1920, while the portions through Simcoe County , from Bradford to Severn Bridge were assumed two months later on August 18. It received its numerical designation in
44517-437: Was started before the war. However, lacking a suitable overland transport route, passage from York to Lake Huron continued via the Nottawasaga. The Penetanguishene Road, begun in 1814, replaced this route by the time the military post was opened in 1817. In 1824, work began to extend Yonge Street to Kempenfelt Bay near Barrie . A north-western extension was branched off the original Yonge Street in Holland Landing and ran into
44730-494: Was then and still is the point at which Highway 11 switches from a north–south alignment to an east–west alignment toward Nipigon . It continued to be listed by Guinness until 1999, when it was dropped in favour of recognizing the Pan-American Highway as the world's longest motorable road. Provincial downloading separated Yonge Street from Highway 11 in the late 1990s. As a result, Highway 11 does not start until Crown Hill just outside Barrie , several kilometres north of where
44943-457: Was then rebuilt as the eastbound lanes, and opened on August 17, 2012. An interchange at Hodder Avenue—the first in Northwestern Ontario—was included as part of this project By 2012, construction was already underway on two more contracts: A $ 46-million project to twin 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi) of the existing highway between Highway 527 and west of Mackenzie Station Road that began in 2010, and another 12.3-kilometre project built along
45156-403: Was transferred by the provincial government to county, regional, and city governments by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario as part of the Mike Harris government's Common Sense Revolution . This practice is called downloading, in that the financial burden will fall to a lower tier government. The entire 36 kilometres (22 mi) of Highway 11 within York Region was transferred to
45369-539: Was upgraded in 2009. From North Bay, Highway 11 extends northerly for 370 kilometres (230 mi), passing through communities such as Temagami , Latchford , Temiskaming Shores , Englehart and Matheson en route to Cochrane , where the route turns west. From Cochrane, it passes through communities such as Smooth Rock Falls , Kapuskasing , Hearst and Greenstone , arching across northeastern Ontario westward then south for 613 kilometres (381 mi) before again meeting Highway 17 at Nipigon . Nearly
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