When Metropolitan Toronto (Metro) was formed in 1954, one of its first priorities was highway building. Metro proposed building routes into and out of downtown, as well as encircle the downtown with an "expressway ring." The routes of the Lakeshore and Don Valley expressways were less controversial and allowed to proceed, while others such as the Crosstown, Scarborough and Spadina Expressways were put off for further study. The other expressways planned to cut through developed areas, and were also considered to be needed less urgently. A parallel development to extend the provincial Highway 400 was proposed to the west, to connect to the Lakeshore Expressway in the area of Fort York.