Don Mills Road

Don Mills Road

York Regional Road 12
Intersection of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue, looking north toward Wynford Drive.
Maintained by	City of Toronto Region of York
Length	46 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  Highway 401 Sheppard Avenue Finch Avenue Steeles Avenue
North end	John Street in Thornhill, Markham (Continues as Leslie Street)
Nearby arterial roads in Toronto ← Leslie Street Victoria Park Avenue →

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.

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, 303 Don Mills (Blue Night), and 403 South Don Mills (community 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

• Ontario Science Centre south of Eglinton Avenue
• Shops at Don Mills at Lawrence Avenue
• Fairview Mall at Sheppard Avenue
• The Peanut between Sheppard and Finch Avenue
• Seneca College, Newnham Campus on Finch
• The historic Zion Church Cultural Centre at Finch
• Don Mills Collegiate Institute a local high school

External links

• Google Maps of Don Mills Road

Sources

• Muir, E.G. (2014). Riverdale: East of the Don. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-2872-1. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
• Filey, M. (2004). Toronto Sketches 8: The Way We Were. Dundurn Press. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-55488-032-4. Retrieved 2024-07-16.

References

1. "Google maps".
2. "Google maps".
3. Filey 2004, p. 320.
4. "Biggest roads plan in 20 years okayed by Metro Council". 1989-06-22.
5. "TTC Transit City". Retrieved 2008-10-21.