Allen Road
Encyclopedia
William R. Allen Road, known more commonly as Allen Road, The Allen Expressway or simply The Allen and formerly as the Spadina Expressway, is a short expressway
/freeway in Toronto
, Ontario
, which runs from Kennard Avenue in the north, to Eglinton Avenue West
in the south. The portion south of Sheppard Avenue
was originally the completed section of the Spadina Expressway
. Allen Road is named after late Metro Toronto
Chairman William R. Allen
and maintained by the City of Toronto. Landmarks along the road include the Yorkdale Shopping Centre
and Downsview Park
(formerly CFB Downsview).
A portion of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line from Sheppard Avenue
in the north to Eglinton Avenue
to the south runs along, within, or near to the highway. The portion from Wilson Avenue to Eglinton Avenue runs in the median of the highway.
South of Transit Road (a collector road just north of Highway 401), Allen Road is a four-lane urban freeway (with the Y-U-S subway line in the median, similar to the Chicago Transit Authority
's Red Line
along the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway
in Chicago
) with varying speed limits throughout its length.
At the junction with Highway 401, the two freeways meet in an interchange which is a hybrid of the turbine and clover-stack. It is complex since some ramps are dedicated to serving the adjacent Yorkdale Mall rather than freeway to freeway traffic. The interchange, which was built when Highway 401 was expanded to its current collector-express configuration, is known for its poor sight lines, since not long after its completion, the speed limit on Ontario freeways was raised in 1968 from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 112 km/h (70 mph) (later reduced to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 1974, then 100 km/h (62 mph) with metric conversion in 1977). There are frequent complaints about the 401 westbound collectors exit to Allen Road, since it is located on the left-hand side instead of the conventional right. Most of the overpasses were rehabilitated in 1995. From 2001 to 2004, retrofitting and improvements have widened the westbound collectors to four lanes, eliminating the forced exit lane. Due to the interchange's complexity and lower standard design, it is one of the few on Highway 401 that uses conventional light poles instead of high-mast lighting.
North of Transit Road, Allen Road is a four-lane at-grade expressway with a speed limit of 70 km/h (45 mph) until it reaches Sheppard Avenue West
to become an arterial route, still maintaining the higher speed limit. The route is two lanes plus a bus lane until just beyond Finch Avenue, where the bus lane exits Westbound to the York University Busway
.
The first installation of low pressure sodium lighting on existing cobra-neck poles in Toronto was on the Allen in 1969. This was later introduced on to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway. In 1991, the Allen became the first municipal expressway in Toronto to have its lighting converted to high pressure sodium with shaded luminaires. This was done using the existing cobra-neck style of poles unlike the Don Valley and Gardiner where a combination of high mast and new conventional poles was introduced.
The section of the Allen north of Highway 401 was to be the next phase of the Spadina Expressway
, which was to be extended northwards to Highway 7
. South of Eglinton Avenue
, the Spadina Expressway would have been extended to Spadina Avenue
and Harbord Street, with a potential link to the Gardiner Expressway
.
Source: Toronto Expressways - Transfer Points - February 2004 - pp8
, Rocco Rossi
proposed completing the expressway in a tunnel to meet the Gardiner Expressway
. However, Rossi's position in favour of extending the expressway conflicts with the plans for the Lawrence Heights
revitalization project. Later that week, after much criticism of Rossi by other candidates and the media, Rossi revised his position to one of "studying" building a tunnel.
and Gardiner Expressway
, Allen Road exits are not numbered and simply identified by the exit street name.
North of Kennard Avenue Allen Road becomes Dufferin Street
. Dufferin Street runs semi parallel with Allen Road south from Kennard. This lost section of Dufferin is a residential street and ends in a cul-de-sac.
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
/freeway in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, which runs from Kennard Avenue in the north, to Eglinton Avenue West
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
in the south. The portion south of Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
was originally the completed section of the Spadina Expressway
Spadina Expressway
The Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
. Allen Road is named after late Metro Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
Chairman William R. Allen
William Allen (Canadian politician)
William Randall Allen, QC was a Toronto politician who served as the Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto from 1962 to 1969 and is the namesake of the W.R. Allen Expressway . Metropolitan Toronto was created by the Province of Ontario in 1952 and comprised Toronto, North York,...
and maintained by the City of Toronto. Landmarks along the road include the Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Yorkdale Shopping Centre is a large shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It contains over 250 stores and is located in the community of Downsview, in North York. It is the fifth largest shopping mall in Canada and also enjoys the highest sales per square foot of any mall in Canada, with...
and Downsview Park
Downsview Park
Downsview Park is a former Canadian Forces Base in the community of Downsview in Toronto, Canada. It contains about 231.5 hectares of land, of which more than 130 hectares are earmarked for traditional parkland, recreational and cultural amenities...
(formerly CFB Downsview).
Route description
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
in the north to Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
to the south runs along, within, or near to the highway. The portion from Wilson Avenue to Eglinton Avenue runs in the median of the highway.
South of Transit Road (a collector road just north of Highway 401), Allen Road is a four-lane urban freeway (with the Y-U-S subway line in the median, similar to the Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's Red Line
Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
along the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway
Dan Ryan Expressway
The Dan Ryan is an expressway in the city of Chicago that runs from the Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago through the South Side of the city. It is designated as both Interstate 94 and Interstate 90 south to 66th Street, a distance of...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) with varying speed limits throughout its length.
At the junction with Highway 401, the two freeways meet in an interchange which is a hybrid of the turbine and clover-stack. It is complex since some ramps are dedicated to serving the adjacent Yorkdale Mall rather than freeway to freeway traffic. The interchange, which was built when Highway 401 was expanded to its current collector-express configuration, is known for its poor sight lines, since not long after its completion, the speed limit on Ontario freeways was raised in 1968 from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 112 km/h (70 mph) (later reduced to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 1974, then 100 km/h (62 mph) with metric conversion in 1977). There are frequent complaints about the 401 westbound collectors exit to Allen Road, since it is located on the left-hand side instead of the conventional right. Most of the overpasses were rehabilitated in 1995. From 2001 to 2004, retrofitting and improvements have widened the westbound collectors to four lanes, eliminating the forced exit lane. Due to the interchange's complexity and lower standard design, it is one of the few on Highway 401 that uses conventional light poles instead of high-mast lighting.
North of Transit Road, Allen Road is a four-lane at-grade expressway with a speed limit of 70 km/h (45 mph) until it reaches Sheppard Avenue West
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
to become an arterial route, still maintaining the higher speed limit. The route is two lanes plus a bus lane until just beyond Finch Avenue, where the bus lane exits Westbound to the York University Busway
York University Busway
The York University Busway is the collective name for a series of bus lanes and bus only roadways leading from Downsview station to York University, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is used by the Toronto Transit Commission's 196 York University Rocket and York Region Transit's Viva Orange bus...
.
The first installation of low pressure sodium lighting on existing cobra-neck poles in Toronto was on the Allen in 1969. This was later introduced on to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway. In 1991, the Allen became the first municipal expressway in Toronto to have its lighting converted to high pressure sodium with shaded luminaires. This was done using the existing cobra-neck style of poles unlike the Don Valley and Gardiner where a combination of high mast and new conventional poles was introduced.
The section of the Allen north of Highway 401 was to be the next phase of the Spadina Expressway
Spadina Expressway
The Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
, which was to be extended northwards to Highway 7
Highway 7 (Ontario)
King's Highway 7, commonly referred to as Highway 7 and historically as the Northern Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
. South of Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
, the Spadina Expressway would have been extended to Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....
and Harbord Street, with a potential link to the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
.
History
- Lawrence Avenue West to Wilson Heights - December 1966
- Lawrence Avenue West to Eglinton Avenue West 1976
- Clanton Park to Kennard 1982
Source: Toronto Expressways - Transfer Points - February 2004 - pp8
Future
During the 2010 Toronto mayoral electionToronto mayoral election, 2010
The 2010 Toronto mayoral election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor of the City of Toronto, Canada. The mayor's seat was open for the first time since the 2003 Toronto election due to the announcement by incumbent mayor David Miller that he will not seek a third term in office...
, Rocco Rossi
Rocco Rossi
Rocco Rossi is a Canadian businessman, executive and former candidate for Toronto municipal and Ontario provincial office. From 2004 to 2009 he was the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. In 2009 he became national director of the Liberal Party of Canada...
proposed completing the expressway in a tunnel to meet the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
. However, Rossi's position in favour of extending the expressway conflicts with the plans for the Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street to the west...
revitalization project. Later that week, after much criticism of Rossi by other candidates and the media, Rossi revised his position to one of "studying" building a tunnel.
Exit list
Like the Don Valley ParkwayDon Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Ontario Highway 401, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway. North of Highway 401, it continues as Ontario Highway 404. The parkway runs through...
and Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
, Allen Road exits are not numbered and simply identified by the exit street name.
| Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarvale Humewood-Cedarvale Humewood-Cedarvale is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, historically part of the York borough. The neighbourhood is bordered by Bathurst Street to the east, Eglinton Avenue to the north, Winnett Avenue to the west and St. Clair Avenue to the south... |
0.0 | Eglinton Avenue West Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs... |
Northbound entrance and southbound exit. |
| Lawrence Heights Lawrence Heights Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street to the west... |
2.0 | Lawrence Avenue West Lawrence Avenue Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto.... |
Diamond interchange Diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge... |
| Yorkdale | 3.1 | Yorkdale Road | half diamond interchange Diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge... |
| 3.6 | Clover-stack/turbine hybrid | ||
| 4.8 | Wilson Heights Boulevard | Northbound exit | |
| Downsview | 5.0 | Transit Road | At-grade intersections |
| 5.7 | Downsview subway station Downsview (TTC) Downsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the... |
||
| 6.0 | Downsview subway station Downsview (TTC) Downsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the... (bus-only entrance) |
||
| 6.3 | Sheppard Avenue Sheppard Avenue Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:... West |
||
| 7.3 | Kennard Avenue | ||
North of Kennard Avenue Allen Road becomes Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions west of Yonge Street. The street starts at the foot of Lake Ontario, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary with some discontinuities and continues into York Region where it...
. Dufferin Street runs semi parallel with Allen Road south from Kennard. This lost section of Dufferin is a residential street and ends in a cul-de-sac.
See also
- Cancelled expressways in Toronto
- Spadina ExpresswaySpadina ExpresswayThe Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
- William AllenWilliam Allen (Canadian politician)William Randall Allen, QC was a Toronto politician who served as the Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto from 1962 to 1969 and is the namesake of the W.R. Allen Expressway . Metropolitan Toronto was created by the Province of Ontario in 1952 and comprised Toronto, North York,...
External links
- Map of Allen Road on Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
- The Expressways of Toronto (built and unbuilt)
- Aerial view of the Highway 401 cloverstack