The City is continuing to advance the design of new and enhanced transportation infrastructure along the boundary of the City of Toronto and York Region to address existing transportation and safety deficiencies and to support the economic growth of the area. The primary focus areas are:
The 1.5 km segment of Steeles Avenue East between Tapscott Road to Ninth Line (Donald Cousens Parkway) will be reconstructed as a six-lane urban street with sidewalks and protected cycling infrastructure.
This design will also include new stormwater management facilities and two bridge crossings at the Morningside River and Rouge River to accommodate the widened Steeles Avenue East.
The 1.5 km extension of Morningside Avenue from Steeles Avenue East to McNicoll Avenue will be constructed as a four-lane urban street with sidewalks. A new multi-use trail along the east side of the new street is also planned. Although Morningside Avenue will ultimately be one continuous urban street, the design and construction of the extension follow two different planning processes described below.
The northern section of the Morningside Avenue Extension between Steeles Avenue East and Passmore Avenue was constructed in 2022 by private development following the City’s development approval process.
The southern section of the Morningside Avenue Extension between Passmore Avenue to McNicoll Avenue will be designed by the City. It will include a new bridge crossing of the Neilson Tributary north of McNicoll Avenue and a new rail corridor crossing at the location where Morningside Avenue will intersect with an existing Canadian Pacific Railway crossing. The rail crossing type approved in the 2013 EA is an at-grade crossing.
Further assessment of the rail crossings is needed to determine the detailed design of this section of Morningside Avenue. Work will continue through 2024.
In 2013, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks approved an amended environmental assessment (EA) study led by the Regional Municipality of York. This EA identified a range of new and modified transportation infrastructure enhancements, including infrastructure within the City of Toronto’s jurisdiction.
The recommended enhancements include:
In 2016, the City commenced the detailed design for both Steeles Avenue East and Morningside Avenue as a single project. A public open house was held on July 19, 2016 to share information about the work plan and meet with City staff and the local Councillor. View the meeting notice and presentation panels below:
Download a copy of the presentation panels
Download a copy of the event notice
The Regional Municipality of York completed the environmental assessment (EA).
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks approved an amended EA study led by the Regional Municipality of York.
The City of Toronto commenced the detailed design for both Steeles Avenue East and Morningside Avenue as a single project, with 50/50 cost sharing of Steeles Avenue East between the City of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York.
Due to conflicts with the rail crossings, the need to complete additional hydrogeomorphology assessment for bridge crossings and due to two large developments (Canada Post and Amazon), the detailed design for both Steeles Avenue East and the Morningside Avenue Extension was put on hold. Further assessment of the Canadian Pacific Railway crossing is needed to determine the detailed design of the South Section of Morningside Avenue.
The detailed design for the Morningside Avenue Extension North Section continued to be advanced through the Amazon development application.
The Morningside Avenue Extension North Section was constructed by the landowner of the Amazon site through the City’s development approval process and opened in 2022. Among others, it includes a multi-use trail, sidewalks, green infrastructure, transit stops and accessibility features.
An interim signalized intersection at Steeles Avenue East and Morningside Avenue was installed to provide a safe crossing opportunity for all modes of transportation.
City staff completed additional work to advance the detailed design for Steeles Avenue East Widening. This work included:
To complete the detailed design work for Steeles Avenue East Widening, City staff will need to:
The City will continue discussions with railway owners for the assessment of Morningside Rail Crossing as due diligence analysis is completed.
Construction is currently anticipated to begin in 2026, pending completion of the detailed design and property acquisition. The construction schedule will be refined over time and is subject to change.
Municipalities in Ontario undertake Environmental Assessment (EA) studies for public infrastructure projects. The process generally includes identifying a problem or opportunity to be addressed, developing, and evaluating a range of alternative solutions, providing opportunities for public input and review, and selecting of a preferred solution.
In 2013, the Regional Municipality of York received approval for an amended EA that identified new transportation infrastructure to support growth and increased traffic demand between the southeast area of Markham and the northeast area of Toronto.
This EA recommended the widening of Steeles Avenue East to a 6-lane urban street and the extension of Morningside Avenue as a 4-lane urban street.
Detailed design is the phase of an engineering project where the detailed engineering drawings are prepared to tender for construction. Detailed design for the Steeles and Morningside projects will also include the identification of property impacts, stormwater infrastructure, hydraulic and erosion assessments, new and reconstructed culverts and bridges, new rail crossings, and archaeological studies.
The City is sharing the costs of design and construction with York Region for the widening of Steeles Avenue East, and with adjacent landowners for the extension of Morningside Avenue between Steeles Avenue East and Passmore Avenue. The City’s share of funding for the full detailed design and construction Morningside Avenue south of Passmore Avenue is part of Transportation Services’ Capital Budget and Plan.
Potential impacts to private property and utilities will be identified during the detailed design of both the Steeles Avenue East widening and the Morningside Avenue extension projects. The City will engage with those stakeholders directly where potential impacts are identified.
The City recognizes that there has been a significant increase in the volume of vehicular traffic travelling through this intersection resulting from new development in the area and that improvements may be required. Following the opening of the intersection of Steeles Avenue East and Morningside Avenue, the City studied the intersection of Tapscott Road and Passmore Avenue and at its meeting on February 6 and 7, 2024, City Council authorized the installation of traffic control signals at Tapscott Road and Passmore Avenue.
A new and interim signalized intersection was opened on Steeles Avenue East and Morningside Avenue in early 2022. The intersection provides people walking or cycling a way to safely cross Steeles Avenue. The intersection will be expanded when the ultimate widening of Steeles Avenue East is completed.
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