Lakeshore Road

Lakeshore Road originated as a Native trail running along the shore of Lake Ontario east from the vicinity of present-day downtown Burlington as far as today's Fourth Line in Oakville. Later, in the colonial era, after the concession road system was laid out, it was improved and linked to continue east along the Third Concession South of Dundas Street,[4] in the historic Nelson, Trafalgar, and Toronto townships; and the First Concession in Etobicoke Township.[5] The sections in the old village cores of Burlington, Bronte, and Oakville, were named Water Street, Triller Street, and Colborne Street, respectively.[6][7]

An interurban radial line operated by the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company ran along (then) "Lake Shore" Road beginning in 1892, running west as a short stub from Parkdale in Toronto to the Humber River. The line was extended to Mimico on July 10, 1893 and reached Long Branch on July 1, 1895. It arrived in Port Credit, first to Hurontario Street on December 24, 1905, and then to the Credit River, on November 19 of the following year.

The line was proposed to be extended to Oakville to meet up with the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway interurban line running from Hamilton on a private right-of-way north of the road, but the connection was never constructed due to financial difficulties.

Long Branch Loop in 1935, showing the last radial car to go west to Port Credit

The line was taken over by the Toronto Transportation Commission on December 1, 1920, and in 1928 the portion from Mimico to Long Branch was converted to a double-track urban streetcar line which still carries cars along Lake Shore Blvd. in Toronto to the present day. The remainder of the route west to Port Credit was abandoned in 1935, due to competition from automobiles and intercity bus service.[8] The Hamilton Radial Electric Railway's radial line shut down completely in 1929.[9]

But street railways would return to Lake Shore Road west of Toronto, albeit only temporarily: During World War II. the TTC extended its Long Branch route tracks a short distance into Toronto Township (now Mississauga) and ran city streetcars to serve an armaments factory from October 1942 until October 1945, but removed them shortly after the end of the war.[10]

Lake Shore Road was macadamized during the 19th century, although it was frequently damaged by erosion.[11] With the advent of automobile use in the early 20th century, it was chosen as the route of the proposed Toronto–Hamilton Highway in 1914[12] as part of the Provincial Highway (Highway 2). The Toronto-to-Hamilton highway which, when completed in 1917, was both Ontario's first concrete highway and one of the longest such inter-city stretches in the world.[13]

Over the next decade, vehicle usage increased substantially, and by 1920 Lake Shore Road was again congested, particularly during weekends.[14] In response, the Department of Highways examined improving another road between Toronto and Hamilton. The road was to be more than twice the width of Lake Shore Road at 12 m (39 ft) and would carry two lanes of traffic in either direction.[15] The new highway was named The Middle Road, which later became the Queen Elizabeth Way. As a result of the new highway, Lake Shore was relieved of its heavy traffic, and was able to retain its narrow width for most of its length, which it still has today.

At about the same time, Lake Shore Rd. was extended east towards Exhibition Place, and in the 1950s, all the way into downtown Toronto and beyond. The portion in what became Metropolitan Toronto was rechristened as Lake Shore Boulevard during this time period, officially truncating it to the Etobicoke Creek at what is today's Mississauga-Toronto city limits.