the borough of North York, just east of Downsview Airport, then south between Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street to Eglinton. The highway would have entered Castle Frank Brook south to St. Clair Avenue through the borough of York. It would then enter Toronto proper south through the Annex neighbourhood, connecting to the east–west Crosstown Expressway north of Dupont Street before ending at the intersection of Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue. 1961–1962: Proposals and approval The Spadina was considered critical for the development of the planned $42million Yorkdale Shopping Centre, southwest of the Highway401 interchange, and a threat to cancel construction of the mall without the approval of the highway was made by the developers of the mall. Only after Metro Council formally approved the expressway project in 1962 did the land owners, T. Eaton Co. Limited, announced construction. The estimated cost of the expressway in 1961 was C$65million ($ in dollars), By 1969, the cost had risen to $136.2million ($ in dollars). On December12, 1961, Metro Council approved the Spadina Expressway project in a 13 to 8 vote, committing $5million to the project. This covered the cost of the first section from Lawrence Avenue to Highway401. However, council also deferred approving the whole route. Opposition to the project was already mounting by this point. In 1960, members of the Cedarvale Ratepayers Association disrupted meetings of the Metro Toronto Roads Committee discussing the project. York Township, which became the Borough of York, opposed the construction of the highway, particularly through the Cedarvale Ravine, characterized as "the only park area west of Bathurst Street and north of St. Clair Avenue available to serve 100,000citizens". Members of the association proposed studying the need for the expressway as well as studying an alternate route along Dufferin Street. The Roads Committee turned down their requests, and York Township threatened to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to block Metro from taking their park. Metro chairman Fred Gardiner opined, "I can't see how anyone would allow one of 13municipalities to block an expressway." In 1961, the Metro Roads Committee held meetings to hear submissions on the routing of the expressway. Forest Hill Village objected to the proposed route of the expressway though the village. The road and the interchange at Eglinton Avenue would require the demolition of 276 buildings and bisect the village. Forest Hill proposed a tunnel from the Cedarvale Ravine north, under Forest