Newfoundland and Labrador Route 2

Route 2, also known as Pitts Memorial Drive and Peacekeeper's Way, is a 34.2-kilometre-long (21.3 mi) freeway on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The road provides a direct link from the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) to downtown St. John's, Newfoundland, which was previously accessible only via city streets such as Topsail Road or Kenmount Road (which was part of the TCH until the Outer Ring Road was built). Initially called the Harbour Arterial, construction began in the early 1970s and was completed in 1979. The $52-million project was funded[2] by the federal and provincial governments. It was renamed by the city council in 1984 after local businessman James Stewart Pitt (1847-1914).[3]

Route 2
Peacekeeper's Way Pitts Memorial Drive
Route information
Maintained by Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Transportation and Works
Length	34.2 km[1] (21.3 mi)
Major junctions
West end	Route 60 in Conception Bay South
	Route 61 in Conception Bay South Route 1 (TCH) near Mount Pearl Route 3 on the Mount Pearl-St. John's city line Route 10 / The Parkway in St. John's
East end	Hamilton Avenue / New Gower Street in St. John's
Highway system
Highways in Newfoundland and Labrador ← Route 1 (TCH) → Route 3

The road bypasses Mount Pearl to the south and then runs parallel to the Waterford River on an embankment/cutting along the Southside Hills. It enters the downtown on a concrete viaduct that carries it over the Waterford River valley and the terminus of the former Newfoundland Railway. At the end of the viaduct, it meets New Gower Street which continues into downtown St. John's.

As a major route into and out of the city, the road is subject to heavy traffic and has had its share of unfortunate incidents and shutdowns.[4][5][6]

Route description

Route 2 begins as Peacekeeper's Way in Conception Bay South (locally known as C.B.S.) at an at-grade intersection with Route 60 (Conception Bay Highway) in the Seal Cove portion of town. It immediately heads northeast as a two-lane Freeway (super-two) to bypass the town along its southern edge while having interchanges with several local roads, including Route 61 (Foxtrap Access Road) and the Manuels Access Road, where Route 2 wides to a divided four-lane as it enters the town of Paradise. The highway now passes through mainly rural areas before following the Mount Pearl-St. John's city at a large interchange with Route 1 (Trans-Canada Highway). Route 2 now becomes Pitts Memorial Drive and passes through Mount Pearl's southernmost neighbourhoods, where it has an interchange with Route 3 (Robert E Howlett Memorial Drive/Goulds Bypass). This interchange is also proposed to be the eventual southern terminus of Route 3A (Team Gushue Highway). Route 2 now fully enters the St. John's city limits as it passes through farmland just north of Goulds for a few kilometres before entering neighbourhoods at an interchange between Route 10 (Bay Bulls Road) and The Parkway (Columbus Drive) in Kilbride. The highway begins following a ridge overlooking the city as it passes through St. John's southernmost neighbourhoods, crossing over Route 11 (Blackhead Road) without an interchange, before crossing the Waterford River along a concrete viaduct and coming to an end at interchange/at-grade intersection between Water Street, Hamilton Avenue, and New Gower Street in downtown.

Exit list

Except for the Conception Bay Highway and Hamilton Avenue intersections, all intersections are grade-separated. All exits are unnumbered.

Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Conception Bay South	0.0	0.0	Route 60 (Conception Bay Highway) – Holyrood, Seal Cove	At-grade; western terminus; through traffic follows Route 60 west
	2.6	1.6	Lawrence Pond Road
	5.2	3.2	Legion Road
	7.8	4.8	Route 61 (Foxtrap Access Road)
	10.3	6.4	Minerals Road
	13.4	8.3	To Route 60 / Manuels Access Road	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
	14.4	8.9	Fowlers Road
Mount Pearl – St. John's boundary	19.7	12.2	Route 1 (TCH) (Outer Ring Road) – St. John's, Clarenville, Gander	Exit 41 A/B on Route 1
			East end of Peacekeeper's Way • West end of Pitts Memorial Drive
	22.2	13.8	Ruth Avenue
	23.7	14.7	Richard Nolan Drive / Ruby Line – Goulds
	25.4	15.8	Route 3 south (Commonwealth Avenue / Robert E. Howlett Memorial Drive) – Goulds	Future southern terminus of Route 3A (Team Gushue Highway); northern terminus of Route 3
St. John's	29.2	18.1	To Route 10 (Bay Bulls Road) – Kilbride	Eastbound right-in/right-out
	29.6	18.4	Route 10 south (Bay Bulls Road) / Columbus Drive (Parkway) – Kilbride	No eastbound exit; northern terminus of Route 10; southern terminus of The Parkway
	34.1	21.2	Water Street east to Harbour Drive	Eastbound exit only
	34.2	21.3	Hamilton Avenue	At-grade; westbound access to Water Street; eastern terminus
			Continues as New Gower Street
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Route transition

References

1. Google (March 12, 2018). "Route 2 in Newfoundland and Labrador" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
2. "Street Names, Monuments, Areas, Plaques" (PDF). City of St. John's. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
3. "A History of St. John's City Council". Retrieved 2008-02-02.
4. "Man charged after high-speed chase in oncoming traffic". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 24, 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2008. The RNC said the car then sped — in the wrong lanes — down Pitts Memorial Drive at more than 130 km/h.
5. "Pitts Memorial lanes shut down over accident". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2008. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary temporarily closed traffic in westbound lanes of Pitts Memorial Drive following an early morning accident.
6. "Goodbye blizzard, hello flooding". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 28, 2005. Retrieved 17 November 2008. In St. John's, the eastbound lane on Pitts Memorial Drive – the arterial that connects the downtown with the Trans-Canada Highway – was closed because of flooding.