Woodbine Avenue (Ontario)

Woodbine Avenue consists of three north–south road sections in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada:
# The southern section in Toronto begins near Ashbridges Bay on the shore of Lake Ontario, at Lake Shore Boulevard.The southern terminus northbound section begins as a one way lane at Kew Beach Avenue (just north of Donald Dean Summerville Swimming Pool) where as the southbound section ends 120 metres north of Kew Beach Avenue.

Woodbine then continues north to O'Connor Drive.
# The middle section in Toronto begins, under the name Woodbine Heights Blvd, across the Taylor-Massey Creek, in the Parkview Heights neighbourhood. Following the southern alignment of Woodbine, it continues for four blocks and ends at the East Don Valley and valley along the Don River. Had the alignment of the O'Connor Bridge been north–south instead of southwest–northeast, this section would have been joined with the southern segment.
# The northern section runs from Steeles Avenue at the Toronto- Markham border to the shore of Lake Simcoe, ending at Lake Drive East in Georgina. York Region designates this section as an arterial road numbered as York Regional Road 8. The map identifies current and planned arterial designated roads in York Region, including Woodbine. It runs parallel to Highway 404. Before renaming it was signed as Don Mills Road but changed to current name as sections of German Mills Road connected with northern section of Leslie Street became Don Mills Road to provide continity with road south of Steeles Avenue.

History

Woodbine was a single lane paved concession road (third concession line laid 19,800 ft (6,000 m) east of Yonge Street from Steeles Avenue to York Mills Road and an open allowance (unopened road allowance) southwards to Lawrence Avenue East. Parts of this road south of York Mills Road is a fenced off wooded area on the west side of Highway 404 and ended as Derrick Creek bends slightly southwest.

It was named for Woodbine Racetrack, later known as Greenwood Raceway. Beyond Lawrence Avenue and especially south of Eglinton Avenue the road allowance was not feasible for a roadway due to the valley along the Don River. It is also believed that former racetrack-owner William J. (Jiggs) Howell (along with either Raymond Pardee or Dennis Pard) operated a tavern at then 88 Yonge Street (west side of Yonge north of King Street near the Fairweather Building c. 1918) called "The Woodbine House" or "The Woodbine", which was re-used by Howell for his horse track.

In Toronto, the portion of the unopened road allowance
for Woodbine Avenue north of Eglinton Avenue to Highway 401 was removed when the Don Valley Parkway was constructed in the 1960s. Another section from Highway 401 to Steeles Avenue was lost when Highway 404 was built over it during the 1970s, although the Parclo A4 interchange with Steeles included a Y-junction modification to accommodate traffic from York Regional Road 8. Victoria Park Avenue, a major north–south arterial in the City of Toronto, terminates shortly after the intersection with Steeles, thus York Regional Road 8 absorbs most of this traffic.

As York Regional Road 8, Woodbine Avenue is six lanes wide from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7, and four lanes wide between Highway 7 and Major Mackenzie Drive, and there is a centre turning lane. North of Major Mackenzie Drive, Woodbine narrows to a two-lane rural road, though with occasional left-turn lane.

Recent housing developments since the early 2000s have necessitated the widening of Woodbine to cope with increased traffic levels. However, due to existing properties around Victoria Square including a cemetery, a new four-lane section of Woodbine was constructed on a new alignment which included a new intersection with Elgin Mills Road. The new segment which was initially known as ''Woodbine Avenue By-Pass'' opened on November 15, 2010. ''Woodbine Avenue By-Pass'' cuts through the new home development area known as Cathedraltown. It was requested by the city of Markham that the by-passed Woodbine Avenue would be renamed ''Victoria Square Boulevard'' to reflect the geographical location of the road—within the area of Victoria Square. However, the ''Woodbine Avenue By-Pass'' will retain the ''By-Pass'' even after the renaming of the by-passed Woodbine Avenue. ''Victoria Square Boulevard'' was transferred to the jurisdiction of the city of Markham and no longer serves as a regional road with Woodbine Avenue By-Pass now as a regional road instead. The former section is now a local road ending with cul-de-sac on either end. Union Street in Gormley is the old alignment of Woodbine at Stouffville Road.

In 2017, the City of Toronto installed Cycle Tracks (protected bike lanes) to Woodbine Ave spanning from O'Connor Dr to Queen St E.

Public Transit

Transit service along Woodbine began in 1921 by Hollinger Bus Lines. The Woodbine route ran from Danforth north to O'Connor Drive. Before then residents along the road was assumed would not likely be travelling south or could walk to their destination. Woodbine intersected with a few east–west streetcar lines:

* Queen - began service in 1880 by Toronto Street Railway (TSR), transferred to Toronto Railway Company (TRC) in 1891 and taken over by the TTC in 1921

* King - began service in 1888 by the TSR, transferred to TRC in 1891 and taken over by the TTC in 1921; route ran on Queen when it reached Woodbine and now numbered as 504

* Lee (Avenue) - operated by the TSR 1889-1891, transferred to the TRC in 1891 and merged into King route in 1893; route ran on Queen when it reached Woodbine

* Woodbine - operated by the TSR 1887 to 1891, transferred to the TRC 1891 and merged with King route in 1893; route ran on Queen when it reached Woodbine

* Gerrard - began service in 1912 by the city owned Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) and taken over by the TTC in 1921; now numbered as 506

* Danforth - began service in 1913 by the TCR and transferred to the TTC in 1921; merged with Bloor route in 1923 and replaced by Bloor Danforth subway line in 1966

The privately operated Hollinger route was taken over by the TTC in 1954 and retained route name. The opening of Woodbine subway station in 1966 changed transit patterns, as many residents now needed to get all the way north to Danforth.

Today Woodbine is served by five different routes and two operators. The northern part of the route, from Danforth to O'Connor is served by the TTC 91 Woodbine and 93 Parkview Hills bus routes. South of Danforth is served by TTC 92 Woodbine South bus route.

In Markham the road is served by the 24 Woodbine YRT route. The far north of the road, through the town of Keswick is served by YRT 51 Keswick Local.

Neighborhoods

Woodbine serves a number of neighbourhoods in Toronto and York Region:

* The Beach
* Woodbine Heights
* Parkview Hill
* Brown's Corner
* Buttonville
* Cachet
* Victoria Square
* Gormley
* Preston Lake
* Vandorf
* Wesley Corners
* Pleasantville ( Newmarket)
* Queensville
* Maple Hill (Georgina, Ontario)
* Keswick, Ontario
* Island Grove (Georgina, Ontario)

Landmarks

Landmarks and notable sites along Woodbine from south to north:

Southern section

Northern section

Other

On Christmas Eve, in 2001, the Woodbine Building Supply fire occurred. The store was located at the intersection of Danforth and Woodbine. It was one of the biggest fires in Toronto's history, as 170 firefighters were required to bring the six-alarm blaze under control. The building was less than 50 metres from residences in the neighborhood and more than 50 families had to evacuate their homes on Christmas morning. One person was killed and another was severely disfigured. Police and insurance quickly suspected arson and several people have been convicted.

Distinction from Woodbine Racetrack

Woodbine Racetrack is in Etobicoke, and not anywhere close to Woodbine Avenue. Greenwood Race Track used to be located at the south end of Woodbine Avenue until it was demolished in 1994. Greenwood Race Track was the original Woodbine Racetrack until the construction of the current Woodbine Racetrack in 1956. The name was then transferred to the new facility. Known as "Old Woodbine Race Track" for several years, the facility changed its name to Greenwood Race Track after nearby Greenwood Avenue.

References

{{York Regional Roads

Roads in Toronto
Roads in Markham, Ontario