York Regional Road 1
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| York Regional Road 1 |
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| Yonge Street | |
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| Length: | 39 km (24 mi) |
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| Formed: | 1793 |
| South end: | Steeles Avenue |
| North end: | York Region / Simcoe County Boundary |
| Counties: | York Region |
| Major cities: | Markham Vaughan Richmond Hill Aurora Newmarket East Gwillimbury |
York Regional Road 1, or Yonge Street (pronounced as 'Young'), is a major north-south road in York Region, Ontario.
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[edit] Road information
- Locally referred to as: Yonge Street
- Municipalities: Markham, Richmond Hill, Aurora, and Newmarket (Please note: Although the portion of Yonge Street from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7 is straddled on the Markham-Vaughan border, it is geographically in Markham, therefore, Yonge Street is technically not in Vaughan.)
- Length: 39km
- Transportation: Mainly Viva Blue, YRT Route 99 (From Finch Terminal to Bernard Terminal), and YRT Route 98 (From Bernard Terminal to Newmarket Terminal)
- Attractions: Ladies Golf Club Toronto, Thornhill Country Club, Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, York Region Transit Headquarters (walking distance required), Hillcrest Mall, Bernard Transit Terminal, Summit Golf and Country Club, Bond Lake, Beacon Hall Golf Club, Aurora Cemetery, Aurora War Memorial Peace Park, Highland Gate Golf Club, York Region Headquarters, Upper Canada Mall
- Road status: A 6-lane road from Steeles Avenue to Elgin Mills Road, and 4 lanes northward to the end of its York regional road status.
- Zoning: A very large range of buildings, mainly residential in north Richmond Hill to Newmarket, commercial in Markham, high-density residential along border with Vaughan, and mainly empty farmland north of Newmarket into Holland Landing.
- Additional information: Previously considered the longest street in the world, York Regional Road 1, or locally, Yonge Street, was formerly Highway 11.
[edit] History
Yonge Street was originally a military trail linking Lake Ontario with the northern Great Lakes. For this reason, it is unusually long and straight. It was founded by John Graves Simcoe, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1793.
Simcoe chose its beginning and end points based on a historical trail created by Huron Indians. The trail was used by numerous European explorers, such as Samuel de Champlain in 1615. Simcoe named the street after Sir George Yonge, the British Secretary of War at the time.
Because of fears of U.S. aggression, Simcoe wanted to move the capital of Upper Canada from Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) to a more defensible position. He chose Yonge Street to be the site of the new capital. Hence, Yonge Street became the first street of the city that would become Toronto.
Yonge Street was fundamental in the planning and layout of Toronto and Ontario. It was used as the basis for concession roads in Ontario. It was the site of Toronto's first subway line. It also serves as the dividing line between the east and west parts of east–west roads in Toronto and York Region. (Yonge is the zero-numbering point for those east–west streets; building numbers on such streets increase as one moves further away from Yonge.)
[edit] Evolution of Yonge Street
John Graves Simcoe used the Queen's Rangers to survey and build the road and established lots along it so that settlers would further clear and improve it. By the early part of the 19th century, Yonge Street ran from Lake Ontario to Holland Landing, providing a link between the lower and upper Great Lakes through Holland River and Lake Simcoe. Yonge Street became the baseline around which the other concession lines of York County were drawn. The lot numbers on this street reach into the 21000s.
In the 1920s, looking to support the rapidly developing mining and agricultural communities in northern Ontario, the government of Ontario sought to connect these communities to the south by commissioning a highway between North Bay and Cochrane. After construction crews pushed through the dense Temagami forest, the road was officially opened on July 2, 1927, and named the Ferguson Highway after the Hon. G. Howard Ferguson, the premier of Ontario and longtime supporter of northern development. The Ferguson Highway, as well as other roads leading to Barrie and Yonge Street itself were incorporated into Highway 11 in the 1930s.
[edit] Description
| Municipality | Number of Lanes | Service Status/ Surrounding Zonings | Traffic | Major Intersections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham/Vaughan | 8 lanes (including diamond lanes) | Paved, surrounded by commercial and high-density residential. | Traffic congestion is frequent, especially during rush hours. |  John Street/Centre Street Highway 7 |
| Richmond Hill | 6 lanes from Highway 7 to Elgin Mills Road
4 lanes from Elgin Mills Road to Bloomington Road |
Paved, surrounded by residential zonings | Traffic congestion is frequent, especially during rush hours. | Highway 7 16th Avenue/Carrville Road Major MacKenzie Drive Elgin Mills Road 19th Avenue/Gamble Road King Road Bloomington Road |
| Aurora | 4 lanes | Paved, surrounded by expensive real estate | Pass through the centre of Aurora | Bloomington Road St. John's Sideroad Wellington Street |
| Newmarket | 4 lanes from Aurora-Newmarket Townline to York Regional Road 74
6 lanes from Mulock Drive to Newmarket-East Gwillimbury Townline |
Paved, surrounded by commercial zones | Upper Canada Mall is the most famous landmark of the portion of the road in Newmarket and also forms the centre of the town. Many of York Region's government buildings are found on this stretch of Yonge Street. |  Mulock Drive Davis Drive |
| East Gwillimbury | 4 lanes | Paved, surrounded by fields and farms (some abandoned) |  Green Lane Bathurst Street |
[edit] Public transit
| Route Name and Number | Description (operation hours) (distance travel on York Regional Road 1) | Stations along York Regional Road 1 (only for Viva)
In bold=terminals |
Transfers to other routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viva Blue | Rapid transit route that links York Region's north and south ends together. It is considered as the only route that runs from Toronto, Ontario to Newmarket, Ontario. Its operation hours is from 6:00am to 12:00 midnight every weekday. | Steeles; Clark; Centre; Royal Orchard; Richmond Hill Centre Terminal; Bantry-Scott; 16th-Carrville; Weldrick; Major MacKenzie; Crosby; Elgin Mills; Bernard Terminal; 19th-Gamble; King; Bloomington; Henderson; Golf Links; Wellington; Orchard Heights; Mulock; Eagle; Newmarket. | Go Transit; Viva Blue; Viva Pink; Viva Purple; and YRT Routes 2, 3, 3B, 4, 4A, 22, 31, 32, 33, 56, 57, 57A, 77, 83, 83A, 84A, 84C, 85, 85A, 85B, 86, 89, 90, 98, 99, 520, and 521 |
| Viva Pink | Rush hour route to reduce the number of people transferring from Viva Purple to Viva Blue at Richmond Hill Centre Terminal to get to Finch Subway Station during weekday rush hours. | Steeles; Clark; Centre; Royal Orchard; Richmond Hill Centre Terminal | Go Transit; Viva Blue; Viva Purple; Viva Green; and YRT Routes 1, 2, 3, 3B, 77, and 99 |
| YRT Route 2 - Miliken | The route travels on York Regional Road 1 from Doncaster Avenue to Steeles Avenue and then Toronto's portion of Yonge Street to get to Finch Subway Station | N/A | Viva Blue; Viva Pink; and YRT Routes 5, 77, and 99 |
| YRT Route 52 - Holland Landing | From Green Lane to Yonge Street (extension) | N/A | GO Transit (East Gwillimbury); and YRT Routes 44 and 98 |
| YRT Route 77 - Highway 7 via Centre | From Steeles Avenue to Centre Street, this route is jointly operated by York Region Transit and Brampton Transit | N/A | Viva Blue; Viva Pink; and YRT Routes 2, 5, and 99 |
| YRT Route 99 - Yonge South | Before Viva Blue was established, Yonge South was used for passengers travelling from Toronto to Richmond Hill. Nowadays, it is used to relieve the number of passengers on Viva Blue as Viva Blue is overcrowding. This route goes from Steeles Avenue to Bernard Terminal. Formerly known as Yonge 'C' | N/A | Viva Blue; Viva Pink; Viva Purple; and YRT Routes 1, 2, 3, 3B, 4, 4A, 5, 77, 83, 83A, 85, 85A, 86, 89, 90, 95B, 98 |
| YRT Route 98 - Yonge North | Before Viva Blue was established, Yonge North was used for passengers travelling from Newmarket to Richmond Hill. Nowadays, it is used to relieve the number of passengers on Viva Blue as Viva Blue is overcrowding. This route goes from Green Lane to Bernard Terminal. Formerly known as Yonge 'B' | N/A | Viva Blue; GO Transit (Aurora); and YRT Routes 22, 31, 32, 33, 34, 56, 57, 57A, 84A, 84C, 99, 520, 521 |
| YRT Routes 520 and 521 - Newmarket Community Bus | From Davis Drive to Green Lane | N/A | YRT Routes 44, 52, 55, and 98 |
Other minor routes on York Regional Road 1 are YRT Routes 5, 23, 31, 44, 84, and 89
[edit] Major roads/highways that cross Yonge Street
(From south to north)
- Steeles Avenue, marks the beginning of York Regional Road 1
- (John Street)
Highway 407 ETR- Highway 7
- 16th Avenue/Carrville Road
- Major MacKenzie Drive
- Elgin Mills Road
- 19th Avenue/Gamble Road
Stouffville Road- King Road
- Bloomington Road
- Wellington Street
- St.John's Sideroad
- Mulock Drive
- Davis Drive
- Green Lane
Holland Landing Road
Yonge Street (extension)- Bathurst Street
[edit] Major roads/highways parallel with Yonge Street
(From west to east)
Weston Road
Jane Street
Keele Street
Dufferin Street- Bathurst Street
Yonge Street
Bayview Avenue
Leslie Street
Highway 404
Woodbine Avenue
Warden Avenue
[edit] See also
- List of York Regional Roads
- Yonge Street, Toronto portion
[edit] References
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York Regional Road 1
Yonge Street Chronology
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Preceded by Yonge Street |
  York Regional Road 1 |
Succeeded by York Regional Road 13 |
