York Regional Road 48
Encyclopedia
Donald Cousens Parkway, regionally designated as York Regional Road 48 and historically known as the Markham Bypass or Markham Bypass Extension, is a regionally maintained arterial
bypass
of Markham
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The route now begins at Copper Creek Drive in Box Grove
, south of Highway 407, and travels north to Major Mackenzie Drive (York Regional Road 25). However, it is currently being extended south to meet with the Box Grove Bypass, after which the Donald Cousens Parkway name will be applied south to Steeles Avenue East
at the Toronto
–York boundary. The route is named for former Markham
mayor Don Cousens
.
Donald Cousens Parkway and the future connection with Morningside Avenue
form the East Metro Transportation Corridor, originally envisioned as a six lane municipal expressway during the 1970s. During the mid-1990s, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) conducted studies and identified the need for the corridor by 2011. Although York had intended for a continuous alignment, the City of Toronto has opposed the direct connection between Morningside and Donald Cousens Parkway.
Construction of the route began in 2002 north of 16th Avenue. In 2004, an interchange with Highway 407 was constructed; it opened along with a connection to Highway 7
in 2005.
. A northern section of the YRR48 is planned from YRR25 to Highway 48, its completion will result in the decommissioning of the provincial designation Highway 48 between YRR25 and YRR48, thus making Highway 48/YRR48 a continuous route.
YRR48 is intended to relieve north-south traffic congestion on York Regional Road 68 and York Regional Road 69 (Ninth Line), with signage suggesting that drivers to use YRR48 as alternate route. The road is also responsible for the rapid growth of the new community of Cornell
.
The portion of completed road is paved with two lanes per direction, with a grass median divider. Between York Regional Road 73 and Highway 7, YRR48 runs right next to Reesor Road, which will be retained as a two-lane rural road.
and the Department of Highways (now the MTO) planned out the East Metro Transportation Corridor. This corridor was originally envisioned as a six lane expressway connecting Highway 401 with the planned but unbuilt Highway 407. However, the drive for expressway construction faded through the 1970s and 1980s as a result of opposition and the resulting cancellation of the Toronto expressway network. Studies nonetheless continued to be performed confirming the need for the route.
During 1994 and 1995, the MTO conducted two studies termed the Morningside Transportation Corridor Review. While the study once again confirmed the need for the route, it also suggested that while an expressway was the ideal solution, an arterial road would be the practical solution. It also suggested that the road be a municipal road, rather than a provincial one.
In 1997, the Environmental Assessment for the Markham By-pass extension was completed, approving construction of an interchange at the future Highway 407 (then open only as far as Highway 404)
and a divided roadway north from there to Major Mackenzie Drive.
Construction on the two lane section between 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive, connecting with the north end of the Old Markham By-pass, began in 2002, and was completed by the end of 2004.
Construction of the interchange at Highway 407 began in 2004
and completed by the end of the year; the four lane section from that interchange north to Highway 7 opened on December 17, 2004.
In 2005, construction began on the third phase of the bypass, connecting the southern segment at Highway 7 with the northern segment north of 16th Avenue. This four lane section opened on October 24, 2006.
The two lane road between this new section and 16th Avenue was subsequently closed and removed.
On October 19, 2006, York Regional Council decided to rename the new Markham By-pass to honour the work of mayor Don Cousens. Following this decision, a report was prepared outlining the costs; it was presented to council on February 22, 2007,
and a bylaw enacted. The name change became effective on April 1, 2007.
extension. York Region wished for the connection between the bypass and Morningside to be continuous, meeting Steeles Avenue west of its intersection with Ninth Line. However, Toronto has thus far resisted the pressure from York Region to utilize the continuous alignment, citing the environmental effects that will come of two new crossings over the Rouge River
.
As such, a discontinuous alignment is likely, with Donald Cousens Parkway ending at the current Steeles Avenue / Ninth Line intersection, the two lane Steeles being widened to six west of that point, and Morningside meeting Steeles immediately east of Eastvale Drive.
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
of Markham
Markham
-Biology:* Markham's storm-petrel , a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia* Markham's grass mouse , a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the nearby Southern Patagonian Ice Field in southern Chile* Ulmus americana 'Markham', an American elm cultivar-Companies:* Markham & Co., an...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of 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....
. The route now begins at Copper Creek Drive in Box Grove
Box Grove, Ontario
Box Grove is an original community in Markham, Ontario.-History:First settled in 1815 by William Beebe, Sparta or Sparty-Wharf was registered as a hamlet in 1850. The name suggests that at an early date there was boat traffic on the Rouge River...
, south of Highway 407, and travels north to Major Mackenzie Drive (York Regional Road 25). However, it is currently being extended south to meet with the Box Grove Bypass, after which the Donald Cousens Parkway name will be applied south to Steeles Avenue East
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
at the 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...
–York boundary. The route is named for former Markham
Markham
-Biology:* Markham's storm-petrel , a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia* Markham's grass mouse , a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the nearby Southern Patagonian Ice Field in southern Chile* Ulmus americana 'Markham', an American elm cultivar-Companies:* Markham & Co., an...
mayor Don Cousens
Don Cousens
W. Donald Cousens is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller...
.
Donald Cousens Parkway and the future connection with Morningside Avenue
Morningside Avenue
Morningside Avenue is a suburban arterial road in the Toronto, Ontario, running north by north-west from the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario to the eastern terminus of Finch Avenue East near the Rouge River valley...
form the East Metro Transportation Corridor, originally envisioned as a six lane municipal expressway during the 1970s. During the mid-1990s, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) conducted studies and identified the need for the corridor by 2011. Although York had intended for a continuous alignment, the City of Toronto has opposed the direct connection between Morningside and Donald Cousens Parkway.
Construction of the route began in 2002 north of 16th Avenue. In 2004, an interchange with Highway 407 was constructed; it opened along with a connection to Highway 7
Ontario Highway 7
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...
in 2005.
Route description
Portions of YRR48 are still under construction, extending it southward from Highway 407 to York Regional Road 69 later in 2008, forming the outline of the community Box GroveBox Grove, Ontario
Box Grove is an original community in Markham, Ontario.-History:First settled in 1815 by William Beebe, Sparta or Sparty-Wharf was registered as a hamlet in 1850. The name suggests that at an early date there was boat traffic on the Rouge River...
. A northern section of the YRR48 is planned from YRR25 to Highway 48, its completion will result in the decommissioning of the provincial designation Highway 48 between YRR25 and YRR48, thus making Highway 48/YRR48 a continuous route.
YRR48 is intended to relieve north-south traffic congestion on York Regional Road 68 and York Regional Road 69 (Ninth Line), with signage suggesting that drivers to use YRR48 as alternate route. The road is also responsible for the rapid growth of the new community of Cornell
Cornell, Ontario
Cornell is a new community being developed in northeast Markham, Ontario and bounded by Highway 407, 16th Avenue, Ninth Line, and the Don Cousens Parkway.-History:...
.
The portion of completed road is paved with two lanes per direction, with a grass median divider. Between York Regional Road 73 and Highway 7, YRR48 runs right next to Reesor Road, which will be retained as a two-lane rural road.
History
The history of Donald Cousens Parkway dates back to the 1970s, when Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan 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...
and the Department of Highways (now the MTO) planned out the East Metro Transportation Corridor. This corridor was originally envisioned as a six lane expressway connecting Highway 401 with the planned but unbuilt Highway 407. However, the drive for expressway construction faded through the 1970s and 1980s as a result of opposition and the resulting cancellation of the Toronto expressway network. Studies nonetheless continued to be performed confirming the need for the route.
During 1994 and 1995, the MTO conducted two studies termed the Morningside Transportation Corridor Review. While the study once again confirmed the need for the route, it also suggested that while an expressway was the ideal solution, an arterial road would be the practical solution. It also suggested that the road be a municipal road, rather than a provincial one.
In 1997, the Environmental Assessment for the Markham By-pass extension was completed, approving construction of an interchange at the future Highway 407 (then open only as far as Highway 404)
and a divided roadway north from there to Major Mackenzie Drive.
Construction on the two lane section between 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive, connecting with the north end of the Old Markham By-pass, began in 2002, and was completed by the end of 2004.
Construction of the interchange at Highway 407 began in 2004
and completed by the end of the year; the four lane section from that interchange north to Highway 7 opened on December 17, 2004.
In 2005, construction began on the third phase of the bypass, connecting the southern segment at Highway 7 with the northern segment north of 16th Avenue. This four lane section opened on October 24, 2006.
The two lane road between this new section and 16th Avenue was subsequently closed and removed.
On October 19, 2006, York Regional Council decided to rename the new Markham By-pass to honour the work of mayor Don Cousens. Following this decision, a report was prepared outlining the costs; it was presented to council on February 22, 2007,
and a bylaw enacted. The name change became effective on April 1, 2007.
Future
The original intention of the Markham Bypass was to link to Highway 401 via the Morningside AvenueMorningside Avenue
Morningside Avenue is a suburban arterial road in the Toronto, Ontario, running north by north-west from the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario to the eastern terminus of Finch Avenue East near the Rouge River valley...
extension. York Region wished for the connection between the bypass and Morningside to be continuous, meeting Steeles Avenue west of its intersection with Ninth Line. However, Toronto has thus far resisted the pressure from York Region to utilize the continuous alignment, citing the environmental effects that will come of two new crossings over the Rouge River
Rouge River (Ontario)
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville...
.
As such, a discontinuous alignment is likely, with Donald Cousens Parkway ending at the current Steeles Avenue / Ninth Line intersection, the two lane Steeles being widened to six west of that point, and Morningside meeting Steeles immediately east of Eastvale Drive.