Don Mills Road

Last updated
Don Mills Road
Don Mills Road Toronto.jpg York Regional Road 12.svg
York Regional Road 12
Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue Intersection.jpg
Intersection of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue, looking north toward Wynford Drive.
Maintained byCity of Toronto
Region of York
Length46 km (29 mi)
Location Toronto
East York
North York
Markham
Thornhill
South end O'Connor Drive
in East York, Toronto
Major
junctions
Eglinton Avenue
Lawrence Avenue
Ontario 401 crown.svg  Highway 401
Sheppard Avenue
Finch Avenue
York Regional Road 95. Steeles Avenue.png Steeles Avenue
North end John Street
in Thornhill, Markham (Continues as Leslie Street)
Nearby arterial roads in Toronto

Don Mills Road is a north-south route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through the former cities of East York and North York. It begins at O'Connor Drive near ramps to the Don Valley Parkway, and ends at John Street in Markham, where its name changes to Leslie Street. North of Steeles Avenue, the road is officially named as York Regional Road 12.

Contents

From south to north, it passes through the neighbourhoods of Todmorden Village, Flemingdon Park, Don Mills, Graydon Hall, Henry Farm, Parkway Forest, and Don Valley Village.

Between Sheppard and Finch Avenues, Don Mills Road splits into
two one-way curved boulevards known as Don Mills Road East and Don Mills Road West. [1]
This section is called The Peanut due to its shape on a topographic map. It surrounds schools, a community centre, and the Peanut Plaza. [2]

History

Originally named Don Independent Road due to donations of the land by local farmers for the public improvement, the road was carrying traffic from many mills in the area: flour, grist, woollen, and sawmills, hence the current name. [3]

In the 1950s, when the urban planned community of Don Mills was created, Don Mills Road was further extended north from this terminus into North York.

By 1990, Don Mills Road was widened from four to six lanes between Overlea Boulevard and York Mills Road. The two additional lanes became the first carpool diamond lanes in Toronto. [4]

Public transportation

Toronto Transit Commission bus routes that run along Don Mills Road include: 25 Don Mills, 100 Flemingdon Park, 325 Don Mills (Blue Night), 403 South Don Mills (community route), and 925 Don Mills Express (express route).

Since November 2002, Don Mills station located under Fairview Mall has served as a connection between the Sheppard subway line and a multitude of other bus routes.

There are plans by the Toronto Transit Commission to run streetcars on Don Mills from Steeles to Overlea Boulevard to Pape station with the Don Mills LRT, as part of the Transit City plan. [5]

Attractions

Sources

References