TORONTO TUNNELS PLAN 1 Toronto Tunnels Plan After reviewing traffic counts and traffic patterns throughout the City of Toronto using the latest traffic counts from the City’s transportation department, it clearly shows that the west end of the city has higher traffic levels and is prone to gridlock more than the east end. For example, traffic volumes on Highway 401 at Keele Street reach a peak of approximately 400,000 vehicles per day while volumes on Highway 401 in Scarborough is approximately 200,000 vehicles per day. Similarly, traffic volumes on the Gardiner Expressway at Dunn Avenue is approximately 200,000 vehicles per day while volume at Cherry Street at the expressway’s east end is approximately 85,000 vehicles per day. Also, there is a lack of a continuous north-south expressway between Highway 401 and the Gardiner Expressway between Highway 427 and the Don Valley Parkway, which is a width of nearly 20 kilometres. The only exception is the incomplete Allen Expressway which terminates at Eglinton Avenue. This area is served by a 2 network of local streets which are very narrow and often congested. Similarly, Highway 400 turns into Black Creek Drive south of Highway 401, which is a heavily congested arterial road which connects into very narrow local streets south of Eglinton Avenue. The area bounded by Highway 401 in the north, Highway 427 in the west, the Don Valley Parkway in the east and the Gardiner Expressway in the south is entirely made up of narrow four-lane local streets which are heavily congested and serving local businesses. There are no wide six-lane highway-type roads in this very large area covering 2/3 of the city. The only exception is the Allen Expressway north of Eglinton Avenue. Traffic volumes on some of the streets in this area are reaching highway volumes. Meanwhile, the east end of the city with its lower traffic volumes is served by two six-lane highways: the Don Valley Parkway and Kingston Road. However, these are approaching gridlock levels. THE NORTHWEST It is recommended that serving this central-west section of the city with relief road tunnels should be the priority. Opportunities for this exist by continuing two existing 3 incomplete expressways in this area: the Allen Expressway and Highway 400. In 1966, the then Metropolitan Toronto adopted an official plan which recommended extension of these two expressways into downtown Toronto. Interestingly, the plan recommended that both expressways swing further east as they headed south of Eglinton Avenue. The Allen Expressway (then called the Spadina Expressway) would swing easterly from is present alignment between Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street to Spadina Road and then turn south on Spadina Road into downtown Toronto. This would make it go through the Cedarvale Ravine and through established well-to-do neighbourhoods like Forest Hill and the Annex. Those areas were the ones which opposed the expressway in 1969 causing cancellation of further construction in 1971. Similarly, the plan recommended that Highway 400 be extended south along what is now Black Creek Drive and then turn east along Davenport Road to Christie Street. Then, it would swing directly south between Christie and Clinton Streets to the Gardiner Expressway at Strachan Avenue. This was known as the Christie-Clinton alignment. 4 When the stretch of the Gardiner Expressway at Strachan Avenue was constructed between 1959 and 1962, the structure was built with this future connection in mind (this alignment for the Highway 400 Extension was originally proposed in 1959). The Gardiner road deck goes very wide in this area to allow for future ramps from the Highway 400 Extension. This still exists today and has recently been repaired. It is recommended that construction of Allen and 400 tunnels should be built first and follow these alignments: The Allen Expressway should continue due south from Eglinton Avenue entirely in a tunnel (instead of swinging easterly to Spadina Avenue as originally planned). It should then follow the original Christie-Clinton alignment originally intended for the Highway 400 Extension to connect to the Gardiner Expressway where the space for ramps on the road deck exists. It would then also connect to the C.N.E. grounds. The advantage to this would be avoiding downtown Toronto where opposition would be strong, avoiding well-to-do established neighbourhoods, and avoiding the difficulty of building under the Cedarvale Ravine where the Spadina subway and a major trunk 5 sewer co-exist. It is also recommended that access be provided at Eglinton Avenue, St. Clair Avenue, Bloor Street, Dundas Street and the Gardiner Expressway and Exhibition Place. Additionally, the Allen Expressway should be extended north from its terminus at Wilson Heights Boulevard, north of Wilson Avenue, where it continues north as a signalized arterial road, in a tunnel under Dufferin Street to Highway 407. This stretch of Dufferin Street is heavily congested and contains large trucks. Much of this traffic is heading north into York Region and the existing arterial road is inadequate. Access points should be provided at Wilson Heights Boulevard at the existing Allen ramps, Finch Avenue, Steeles Avenue and Highways 407 and 7. These two Allen extensions, both south and north, will finally complete the Allen Expressway as a through route from Highway 407 to the Gardiner Expressway and end an incomplete situation that has existed since 1966 when the Allen first opened. It is also recommended that the name of this expressway be Allen Expressway and not Allen Road since it its truncated status will now be upgraded to completed status. 6 7 8 9 10 Highway 400 should be extended south in a tunnel under Black Creek Drive to south of Eglinton Avenue and then continue southeasterly under the Kitchener GO rail line to connect to the west end of Front Street at Bathurst Street, near the extended Allen Expressway tunnel. This would be easy to build as it would proceed south under the Black Creek river valley and a very wide railway corridor all the way down to near the lake shore. No interruptions to neighbourhoods or railways on the surface would occur. A very wide transportation corridor already exists for the entire length of this route. This extension would help to divert traffic from the Gardiner Expressway-Highway 427 route which is heading to the city’s northwest to Highway 400 which proceeds north to Barrie. Similarly, traffic heading south from Barrie on Highway 400 can continue south into the city without diverting to Highway 401 and other streets. Black Creek Drive, which is now heavily congested with dangerous intersections, can be relieved of its highway status and become a local road serving the local community. Through traffic is removed from the network of local streets in this area and put underground. Access points should be provided at the southern terminus of Highway 400 at Jane Street, Eglinton Avenue, 11 St. Clair Avenue, Bloor Street, Dundas Street and Front Street. Traffic heading to the northwest via the Gardiner-427 route clogs up downtown streets like Yonge Street, Bay Street, York Street and Spadina Avenue heading south to the Gardiner Expressway. Much of this traffic will be removed if it is able to head northwest directly in the 400 Extension and Allen tunnels from downtown. This will reduce the gridlock on the western Gardiner Expressway and help to improve commercial truck movements in and out of downtown Toronto. THE EAST Even though the northwest is a recommended priority, congestion in the east end of Toronto needs addressing. The Don Valley Parkway and Kingston Road exist as through six-lane highways. However, they are approaching gridlock proportions. The Don Valley Parkway is serving a double purpose of handling traffic which is heading both north to Highway 404 and into York Region and heading east along Highway 401 to Durham Region. 12 Kingston Road is a wide six-lane arterial east of Birchmount Road only. West of this point, it is a narrow four-lane road with a speed limit of 40 km/h and contains streetcars. A major bottleneck exists through the east Beach area. Lawrence Avenue is also a wide six-lane arterial across Scarborough. Eglinton Avenue used to be a six-lane arterial, but has now been reduced to four to provide for the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT west of Kennedy Road in its median and exclusive bus lanes east of Kennedy station. According to Toronto’s 1966 plan, the Gardiner Expressway would have been extended east along the Lakeshore East GO rail corridor to connect to Highway 2A and Highway 401 in eastern Scarborough. This was to be built after the Allen Expressway with construction scheduled to start in 1974. Lands were purchased along the route but no construction ever took place. In 1973, the route was finalized alongside the railway for most of the entire route and under Kingston Road for a short stretch at the eastern end, east of the Guildwood GO station. The route would have been in a depressed structure and covered over in some areas. 13 14 15 It is recommended that the Gardiner Expressway be extended in a tunnel under the existing Lakeshore East GO railway corridor at least as far east as Birchmount Road, and connecting to the wide six-lane part of Kingston Road which continues east from there to Highway 2A and Highway 401. Access points should be provided at the Gardiner Expressway at the Don Valley Parkway, Eastern Avenue, Greenwood Avenue, Victoria Park Avenue and Danforth Avenue near Birchmount Road. At a later date, the route should continue east under the GO rail corridor to the Guildwood GO station and then continue under Kingston Road to Highway 2A and Highway 401, as per the 1973 route plan, with access points at Birchmount Road, Brimley Road, Markham Road, Morningside Avenue and Highway 2A at the Highland Creek bridge.