Thousand Islands Parkway
Encyclopedia
The Thousand Islands Parkway is a parkway
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, which extends easterly from an interchange
with Highway 401 in Gananoque
for approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) to the community of Butternut Bay, in Elizabethtown-Kitley
, west of Brockville
.
The parkway follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, and was formerly designated Highway 2S (for Scenic). It was constructed as the alignment of Highway 401 through the area during the 1930s and 1940s, and was in signed as such between 1952 and 1968, when a new alignment of Highway 401 was completed further to the north. Evidence of its proposed use can be seen today in the wide right-of-way; the unused westbound lanes
now serve as a bicycle trail, and twin bridges span two locations along the parkway.
under provincial jurisdiction. East of this point the three diverge into the rugged terrain of the Frontenac Arch, a protrusion of the Canadian Shield
southward into New York
state. In this area, the soil is underlain by layers of Paleozoic
limestone
and a granite bedrock
. The granite often extends above the ground surface as large rock outcroppings. Both layers are prominent in the Jones Creek ravine.
At its midpoint, the parkway interchanges with Highway 137, an extension of Interstate 81 which serves as the Ontario approach to the international Thousand Islands Bridge
.
The St. Lawrence River Road was given the designation of Highway 2S in 1947. This designation remained in place for several years, until the entire route was renumbered as Highway 401 by the end of 1952. Initially, the parkway was intended as the route of Highway 401 between Ganonoque and Brockville. However, when the Department of Highways (DHO) encountered severe local resistance, it was instead decided that a new bypass should be built further inland. This bypass opened on October 11, 1968, at which point the entire parkway once again became Highway 2S.
This designation would also only last a few years. On September 8, 1970, the DHO transferred the jurisdiction over the parkway to the St. Lawrence Parks Commission; it was subsequently renamed as the Thousand Islands Parkway.
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, which extends easterly from an interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
with Highway 401 in Gananoque
Gananoque, Ontario
Gananoque is a town in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,287 year-round residents in the Canada 2006 Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque's most...
for approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) to the community of Butternut Bay, in Elizabethtown-Kitley
Elizabethtown-Kitley, Ontario
Elizabethtown-Kitley is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.-Communities:The township comprises the communities of Addison, Bellamys, Bellamys Mills, Bells Crossing, Bethel, Butternut Bay, Crystal, Eloida, Fairfield, Fairfield East, Forthton,...
, west of Brockville
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
.
The parkway follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, and was formerly designated Highway 2S (for Scenic). It was constructed as the alignment of Highway 401 through the area during the 1930s and 1940s, and was in signed as such between 1952 and 1968, when a new alignment of Highway 401 was completed further to the north. Evidence of its proposed use can be seen today in the wide right-of-way; the unused westbound lanes
Unused highway
An unused highway is a highway or highway ramp that was partially or fully constructed, but was unused or later closed. An unused ramp can be referred to as a stub ramp, stub street, stub-out, or simply stub.-Examples:...
now serve as a bicycle trail, and twin bridges span two locations along the parkway.
Route description
The Thousand Islands Parkway begins at a split with Highway 401 on the outskirts of Gananoque. There is no access from westbound Highway 401 to the parkway nor from westbound on the parkway to eastbound Highway 401. However, immediately east of the split, both highways interchange with the sole remaining portion of Highway 2Ontario Highway 2
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
under provincial jurisdiction. East of this point the three diverge into the rugged terrain of the Frontenac Arch, a protrusion of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
southward into New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. In this area, the soil is underlain by layers of Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and a granite bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
. The granite often extends above the ground surface as large rock outcroppings. Both layers are prominent in the Jones Creek ravine.
At its midpoint, the parkway interchanges with Highway 137, an extension of Interstate 81 which serves as the Ontario approach to the international Thousand Islands Bridge
Thousand Islands Bridge
The Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the...
.
History
While today only a two-lane road, it was a divided and paved four lane roadway in the early 1940s.The St. Lawrence River Road was given the designation of Highway 2S in 1947. This designation remained in place for several years, until the entire route was renumbered as Highway 401 by the end of 1952. Initially, the parkway was intended as the route of Highway 401 between Ganonoque and Brockville. However, when the Department of Highways (DHO) encountered severe local resistance, it was instead decided that a new bypass should be built further inland. This bypass opened on October 11, 1968, at which point the entire parkway once again became Highway 2S.
This designation would also only last a few years. On September 8, 1970, the DHO transferred the jurisdiction over the parkway to the St. Lawrence Parks Commission; it was subsequently renamed as the Thousand Islands Parkway.