User:Floydian/Queen Elizabeth Way

History
The Middle Road was not the first highway between Toronto and Hamilton. In January 1914, a cement road known as the Toronto–Hamilton Highway was proposed. The highway was chosen to run along the macadamized old Lake Shore Road, instead of Dundas Street to the north, because of the numerous hills encountered along Dundas Street, which would have increased the cost of the road without improving accessibility. Middle Road, a dirt lane named because of its position between the two, was not considered since Lake Shore and Dundas were both overcrowded and in need of serious repairs. By November of that year, the proposal was approved, and work began quickly to construct the road known today as Lake Shore Boulevard and Lakeshore Road from Toronto to Hamilton. The road was finished by 1917, 18 ft in width and nearly 40 mi long, becoming the first concrete road in Ontario, as well as one of the longest stretches of concrete road between two cities in the world. The highway became the favourite drive of many motorists, and it quickly became a tradition for many families to drive it every Sunday.

Over the next decade, vehicle usage increased monumentally; as early as 1920 the Lake Shore Road was once again bumper to bumper on weekends. In response, the Department of Highways once again sought out improving another road between Toronto and Hamilton. Middle Road, a continuation of Queen Street west of the Humber River, was chosen to avoid delays on Dundas or Lake Shore. The road was to be more than twice the width of the Lake Shore Road, at 40 ft, and would carry two lanes of traffic in each direction. Construction on what was then known as the Queen Street Extension between Highway 10 and Highway 27 began in the spring of 1931, and between Highway 27 and the Humber River on November 1, 1931.

Before the highway could be completed, the 1934 provincial elections brought Mitchell Hepburn into office as premier and Thomas McQuesten was appointed the new minister of the Department of Highways. McQuesten in turn appointed Robert Melville Smith as deputy minister. Smith, inspired by the German Autobahns - new "dual-lane divided highways", separated by a depressed grass centre crossing short distances between major cities - modified the design for Ontario roads, and McQuesten ordered that the Middle Road be changed into this new form of highway. A right-of-way of 132 ft was purchased along the Middle Road and construction began to convert the existing sections to a divided highway, as well as on Canada's first cloverleaf interchange at Highway 10.

By the end of 1937, the Middle Road was open between Toronto and Burlington, where it connected with what was first known as the Hamilton – Niagara Falls Highway. It soon came time to name the new highway, and an upcoming visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth proved to be the focal point for a dedication ceremony. On June 7th, the two royal family members drove along the highway (which now connected to Niagara Falls) and passed through a light beam at the Henley Bridge in St. Catharines. This caused two Union Jacks to swing out, revealing a sign which read The Queen Elizabeth Way.

However, the ceremony only designated the highway between St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. The remainder of the road was known by various names, including the Toronto–Burlington/Hamilton Highway and The New Middle Road Highway. At the formal opening of the highway between Toronto and Niagara Falls on August 23, 1940, the entire length was declared The Queen Elizabeth Way by Thomas McQueston.

One of the first sections of the QEW to be upgraded to a freeway was from highway 10 (now Hurontario Street) to Dixie Road in what is now Mississauga, in early 1956. Service roads were installed and 13 intersections eliminated, and the accident rate was reduced by 50%.

Route description
The Queen Elizabeth Way originally "began" in Toronto and travelled around Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls. However, when route numbering was introduced, Exit 1 was assigned to the opposite end. By this point, the Gardiner Expressway had been constructed, and may have influenced this decision. However, as the extension to Fort Erie was based on the tourist-potential of a connection to the United States, there are multiple possibilities behind the decision.

Upon entering into Canada at the Peace Bridge, drivers first pass through international customs before proceeding onto the QEW. Exits are also provided to Highway 3 and the Niagara Parkway. The QEW progresses through the relatively rural town of Fort Erie towards the north-west surrounded by a mix of farmland and forest. This section of the freeway retains the same appearance as it did in the 1950's; only repaving has occurred. Approaching Niagara Falls, the freeway curves to the north and enters suburban developments before crossing the Queenston-Chippawa Hydro Canal. It is mostly situated on the western outskirts of Niagara Falls in this section. Shortly after meeting Highway 420 at a complex interchange, the freeway resumes a north-eastward orientation towards St. Catharines. It again crosses through a mix of farmland and forest before merging with Highway 405 (which provides freeway access into New York for Fort Erie -bound drivers). It passes beneath a rail overpass; until a recent reconstruction, this overpass was a dangerous choke point.

Entering into St. Catharines, the QEW crosses former Highway 8 and ascends over the Welland Canal on the Garden City Skyway, bypassing the old lifting Homer Bridge. It descends into the city, sandwiched between residential development to the south and industrial warehouses to the north. Progressing west through St. Catharines, the freeway approaches the shore of Lake Ontario, which it follows for the remainder of its length.

Exit list
Exits are numbered from Fort Erie to Toronto.