The Queensway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Queensway in Ottawa, see Queensway (Ottawa)
- For the Queensway in Georgina, see York Regional Road 12
The Queensway is the western extension of Queen Street (Toronto), after it merges with King Street near Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Canada. In contrast to Queen Street which explifies the urban nature of Toronto's downtown, the Queensway is more suburban in nature. The Queensway is a divided roadway with ramps and centre median dedicated to the streetcar service.
The Queensway is an alternate route for those travelling the Gardiner Expressway (including the Gardiner's absorption of part of the QEW after provincial downloading) west of Dufferin Street.
The Toronto section of the road ends at the Etobicoke Creek, but continues as Queensway Avenue (Peel Regional Road 20) in Mississauga, ending at Glengarry Road just west of Mavis Road. There is a road allowance with hydro lines, cutting into the Mississauga Golf and Country Club on the shores of the Credit River. In the 1990s, the name Queensway was eliminated on the roads on this allowance west of the river.
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[edit] Naming
Motorists may notice variation in name of the road as seen on overhead signs marking the exit to the Queensway from Highway 427 southbound. Older signs refer to it as Queensway Avenue while newer signs refer to it as The Queensway. It is unclear as to why the older signs use an incorrect name. However, it may be informative to note that the extension of 'The Queensway' in Missisauga, Ontario to the west is referred to as 'Queensway Avenue'. 'Queensway Avenue' may have also been used to presumably to avoid confusion with adjacent exit signs for the QEW. After provincial downloading in 1998, there was no longer any need for 'Queensway Avenue' once the eastern QEW was redesginated as the Gardiner Expressway
[edit] History
The section between Roncesvalles and the Humber River was rebuilt in the 1950s, as was the construction of the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard. This included the razing of the former Sunnyside Amusement Park.
[edit] Recent
During the 2000s, the Queensway has been subject to new Condominium development, particularly in the vicinity of the Humber River. An attraction to this development is the proximity to downtown street car service. The streetcar right-of-way has been proposed as a future subway corridor, parallel to the existing Bloor TTC line, should transit ridership increase dramatically in the future. More immediately, there has been a move to consider creation of an extended right of way streetcar system on the portion of Queensway west of the Humber Loop, offering direct access to downtown.[1]
During the summer 2005, after a period of prolonged deterioration, it is being rebuit once again. The eastbound lanes are currently finished, with westbound lanes projected to be finished by fall 2006.
[edit] Nearby attractions
- Ontario Food Terminal
- Humber Bay Park
- IKEA
- Sherway Gardens
- Trillium Medical Health Centres (both Queensway and Mississauga Hospitals)
- Queensway Cathedral, a Pentecostal mega-church
- The Queensway Cineplex Odeon
