Airport Road, Ontario
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| Peel Regional Road 7 Dufferin County Road 18 | |||||||
 Airport Road, intersection with Bresler Drive in the City of Mississauga | |||||||
| Maintained by | Region of Peel Dufferin County | ||||||
| Length | 81.0 km (50.3 mi) | ||||||
| Location | City of Mississauga City of Brampton Town of Caledon Town of Mono Mulmur Township | ||||||
| South end | Highway 427 at the Mississauga/Toronto boundary. (Continues east as Dixon Road) | ||||||
| Major junctions |
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| North end | Mulmur-Nottawasaga Townline (Continues as Simcoe County Road 42) | ||||||
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Airport Road is a major north–south urban and rural thoroughfare in Ontario, Canada, running through the Regional Municipality of Peel, Dufferin County.[1] In combination with its continuation, Simcoe County Road 42, and in turn a portion of Highway 26 north of Stayner, it is a popular non-highway route (as an alternative to Highway 10 and former Highway 24) from the Greater Toronto Area to the Georgian Triangle, in particular the tourist towns of Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, and The Blue Mountains. It is named for Toronto Pearson International Airport, which it passes at its southern terminus.
It is designated Peel Regional Road 7 in Peel and Dufferin County Road 18 in Dufferin. In Peel, it follows the sixth Concession road east of Hurontario Street, and was originally named Sixth Line East. Despite Airport Road transitioning into Simcoe Road 42 and not reaching Stayner, the latter is commonly referred to as part of Airport Road and signage in Stayner indicates Airport Road reaching the intersection where Highway 26 makes a turn.[2]
Route description
[edit]
Airport Road begins at Highway 427 in Mississauga, initially tracing a broad curve as a continuation of Toronto's east–west Dixon Road near the main street entrance of Pearson Airport to the west. Shortly after, it passes both over and under Highway 409 and its complicated ramps that serve as the airport's freeway access. Just to the north it passes under the elevated tracks of the Union Pearson Express, an airport rail link running to Downtown Toronto, and the guideway of the Terminal Link, the airport's automated people mover. It then straightens to join the main road grid and runs northwest, passing the operations centre for Air Canada, the airport's cargo facilities, and the east end of Runway 36R, a popular location for planespotting.[3] At Derry Road, the street enters the Malton neighbourhood, dipping under the tracks hosting GO Transit's Kitchener Line commuter trains just north of the intersection. It enters Brampton, south of Steeles Avenue and then interchanges with Highway 407 (Exit 53). Airport Road continues through more industrial areas, passing under the rail spur serving the Brampton Assembly (Stellantis Canada) auto plant. At Bovaird Drive, it enters a residential district, Springdale, and at Mayfield Road enters the largely rural Town of Caledon, although a suburban warehouse district is under development for a short distance north of Mayfield.[4]
From there, the road finally leaves urbanized areas and becomes rural, narrowing down to two lanes. It runs through the community of Caledon East, through which the Trans-Canada Trail passes. North of Caledon East it enters the Oak Ridges Moraine and the first of the trademark hills that define much of rural Airport Road. At Highway 9, it leaves Peel Region and enters Dufferin County, where the hills become steeper as it traverses the Niagara Escarpment.[5] Airport Road is notorious for having a high collision rate in this area, and signs advise motorists of that fact.[6]
Airport Road ends at the boundary of Simcoe County where it transitions into Simcoe Road 42, which continues it into the community of Stayner (through which it is named King Street) where Highway 26 continues it in turn after turning into it from the east, forming the continuous route into the aforementioned tourist towns in the Georgian Triangle.[7]
History
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In Peel County (now Peel Region), Airport Road served as a dividing line between townships. Albion Township and Toronto Gore where east of the road and Caledon, Chingacousy, and Toronto Township were to the west.[8] Later, Toronto Township acquired the Gore lands south of Steeles Avenue that became much of the urban area of Malton, Ontario. The remainder of Gore Township became part of Brampton in 1974, and Albion was added to Caledon at the same time.
References
[edit]- ^ "Airport Rd to County Rd 42". Google Maps.
- ^ "Directional signage in Stayner pointing to Airport Road". Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "South end of Airport Rd in the vicinity of Pearson Airport". Google Maps.
- ^ "Airport Rd. in the vicinity of Mayfield Rd". Google Maps.
- ^ "Hilly stretch of Airport Rd. in Dufferin County". Google Maps.
- ^ "Photo of sign warning of high collision rate". Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "Highway 26 (King St.) in Stayner, looking south to the straight continuation of Simcoe Rd. 42". Google Maps.
- ^ Archives, Region of Peel (June 30, 2016). "From mud to pavement: the early history of Peel roadways as told by our records".
