Spadina Expressway - Planned Route

Planned Route

The Spadina was intended to run from north of Highway 401 into the downtown of Toronto via the Cedarvale and Nordheimer Ravines and Spadina Road. Various versions of the proposal showed it starting to the north of North York at today's highway 407, between Bathurst and Dufferin Streets. It then travelled south to meet highway 401 a half-mile east of Dufferin.

The interchange at the 401 evolved over time to a complex 26 bridge interchange, the most complex in Ontario to that time. The Spadina was envisioned at first to provide access to the Yorkdale development from the 401, with a four-lane road. While the Spadina was being planned, the 401 highway was being developed into the present-day 12-lane highway and the Spadina was being revised to a six-lane highway to downtown, with a subway line in the middle. It cost $13 million in 1960s dollars to build, after being initially estimated to cost $1 million.

From the 401 south to Eglinton, the roadway was to be in a trench, with the rapid-transit line in the middle. South of Eglinton, it continued into the Cedarvale Park below ground level. The route south of Eglinton was never built and several variations of the plan were proposed. Plans were initially for the road to be on the surface of the ravines and the subway below the surface, at least as far as Spadina Road with a tunnel under St. Michael's College north of St. Clair. Another plan projected the roadway to be completely underground also for this stretch, on top of the subway line. From Spadina Road south of St. Clair and further south, the roadway would be underground to Davenport Road, opening into an interchange on Davenport Road.

The stretch from Davenport south was also not built. 'No highway' routes proposed rebuilding Spadina Road and Madison Avenue south to Bloor Street as arterial roads. The highway plan proposed a highway width from Spadina's west side to Madison's east side, in an exposed trench south to Bloor Street. If a Crosstown Expressway were to be built then the Davenport interchange might not have been built and a Crosstown interchange instead.

Various proposals for the Spadina south of Bloor Street were made. The 1969 functional design proposed an express route in the centre of the Spadina Avenue, and parallel two-lane streets on either sides to provide access to the businesses. Other proposals included no highway south of Sussex Street, just north of Harbord.