Queen Elizabeth Way
Template: Infobox trunk road / maintenance / CA / ON -H
Region:
- Niagara
- Hamilton
- Halton
- Peel
- Toronto
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly known by the acronym QEW, is a highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. He leads from the border to the United States at Niagara River at Fort Erie in the provincial capital of Toronto and has for the most part run a total length of 139 km along the shore of Lake Ontario. The highway was by Queen Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI. and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, (also known as the Queen Mum ) named. Notwithstanding the other highways in Ontario had been omitted in honor of Queen Elizabeth on a numbering system.
Route
The southern end of the highway is located at the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River. This bridge is located at the mouth of the river into Lake Erie, the use of the bridge is not included. Immediately after the Canadian customs authorities of the Highway begins. He expanded on the entire route as Freeway. The highway leads us through Fort Erie to the west and swings at the local airport to the northwest. The QEW leads to the first 20 km through the plains of Ontario to Niagara Falls. In this city there is the Canadian portion of the Niagara Falls the same name. East of the Canadian city is located on the territory of the United States, the city of Niagara Falls (New York). The waterfalls and the United States can be reached via Highway 420, which diverges here from the QEW to the east. 7 km Highway 405 branches off, which leads also to the United States to Lewiston. The route would then be on a 2.2 km long bridge, the Garden City Skyway. This crosses the Welland Canal with a height of 40 m. To the west of the channel is the city of St. Catharines, which is north crosses the city center. The city lies on the shores of Lake Ontario, the route to Hamilton follows. The QEW runs along the northern edge. In a bay of Lake Ontario, Burlington Bay, is the harbor of Hamilton; the bay is separated from the rest of the lake by a natural sand bank. Also, this part of the sandbank is designed as Skyway, so can pass large transport ships at the harbor entrance under the roadway accordingly. The route is now in Burlington, west of the city there is a large highway interchange. In this node joins from the west, Highway 403 to the QEW coming one which swings to the northeast. At the same time extending the current direction of the QEW is to the northwest of the Highway 407 toll bypass north of Toronto. The QEW and Highway 403 lead now jointly by Oakville. North of this city, the two highways separate again, Highway 403 leads northwest, the QEW to the northeast by Mississauga. To the northeast of this city Highway 427, which leads to the Toronto Pearson International Airport begins. Thus the city limits of Toronto is reached and the Queen Elizabeth Way ends with the route will continue under local authority control as Gardiner Expressway, and 1997 also led the QEW Highway this designation.
History
Already in the 1910s, the forerunner of the Queen Elizabeth Way was built as a coastal road. Inspired by the construction of the German motorways of the QEW was planned as a new type of construction in the 1930s. As with the motorways separate lanes were provided by a central reservation. The access roads to the highway were not performed at the same level as well as crossings of roads have been replaced by structures ( bridges).