Highway 140 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 140, commonly referred to as Highway 140, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The highway connects Port Colborne near Lake Erie
with Highway 406 in Welland
, via the Main Street Tunnel
. It was constructed in the early 1970s as part of the Welland Bypass project of the Welland Canal
, which resulted in the severance of several highways and rail lines. Opened to traffic in late 1972, several months following the tunnel, Highway 140 has remained unchanged since, despite growing calls to resign it as an extension of Highway 406.
on the eastern edge of Port Colborne. From there, Highway 3 continues east to Fort Erie
; to the west it becomes Niagara Regional Road 3.
The roadway carrying Highway 140 continues south of Highway 3 as a local road named Elizabeth Street, whereas Highway 140 travels north, to the west of forestland and a quarry
. The highway parallels the Welland Canal
throughout its length, always within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the waterway.
Wooden high-tension powerlines parallel the highway until it diverges, curving towards the northeast immediately north of Chippawa Road. It travels diagonally for several kilometres before ascending on an overpass and crossing the former Canadian National Humberstone Subdivision tracks.
The highway gradually straightens to a north–south alignment as it crosses Highway 58A and a set of railway tracks, both of which travel beneath the nearby Welland Canal to the west. Continuing north, Highway 140 passes over Lyons Creek, which meanders northeast to converge with the Welland River
west of the Niagara River
. The highway ends approximately 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) north of this point at an intersection with Main Street (Niagara Regional Road 27). Main Street travels beneath the Welland Canal immediately west of Highway 140, providing a connection to Highway 406 on the opposite side.
Because of its importance as both a through route past the canal and in linking Highway 140 with Highway 406, East Main Street is maintained the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) as Highway 7146.
providing the opportunity for the construction of cheap cut and cover tunnels beneath the channel. By 1968, construction was underway on a tunnel at East Main Street and at the Port Colborne – Welland townline.
Due to the numerous road disconnections that would take place as a result of the Welland Bypass, a new highway was proposed to link Welland with Port Colborne.
One of the severed highways was Highway 58, which then followed Canal Bank Street south from Welland.
In late 1970, the Department of Highways tendered contracts for the construction of the new highway on the east side of the bypass.
Construction began from the north, reaching as far south as Ramey Road.
The section north of Townline Road was completed within a year. Around the same time, the third and final contract was tendered for the section north of Highway 3. On May 20, 1972, the Main Street Tunnel was opened to traffic at a morning ceremony featuring local officials and the Welland Police Association Pipe Band.
Highway 140 was opened several months later, without ceremony, on October 5.
It has remained unchanged since then, and was not affected by the provincial highway transfers in 1997 and 1998.
The various municipalities serviced by Highway 140, as well as Niagara Region, have called for four-laning the route and redesignating it as Highway 406. However, the MTO is committed to extending Highway 406 to Highway 58 southwest of Welland. On April 4, 2006, the MPP for Erie—Lincoln
, Tim Hudak
, introduced a Private Member's Bill
.
The Highway 406 to Port Colborne Act passed first reading, but was not brought up for a second reading.
{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"|Port Colborne
|0.0
|
|Highway 3 ends immediately west of Highway 140, but resumes west of Port Colborne
|-
|0.8
|Chippawa Road
|
|-
|5.1
|Forkes Road
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|Welland
|7.1
|
|Passes beneath the Welland Canal in Townline Tunnel
|-
|8.7
|Ridge Road
|
|-
|9.8
|Buchner Road
|
|-
|10.9
| west to
|Passes beneath Welland Canal in Main Street Tunnel
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....
. The highway connects Port Colborne near Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
with Highway 406 in Welland
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
, via the Main Street Tunnel
Main Street Tunnel
The Main Street Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Niagara Road 27 and the unsigned designation of Highway 7146 under the Welland Canal. It is named as a part of East Main Street....
. It was constructed in the early 1970s as part of the Welland Bypass project of the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
, which resulted in the severance of several highways and rail lines. Opened to traffic in late 1972, several months following the tunnel, Highway 140 has remained unchanged since, despite growing calls to resign it as an extension of Highway 406.
Route description
Highway 140 begins at an intersection with Highway 3Ontario Highway 3
King's Highway 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and historically as the Talbot Trail, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which travels parallel to the shore of Lake Erie. It has three segments, the first of which runs from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor...
on the eastern edge of Port Colborne. From there, Highway 3 continues east to Fort Erie
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....
; to the west it becomes Niagara Regional Road 3.
The roadway carrying Highway 140 continues south of Highway 3 as a local road named Elizabeth Street, whereas Highway 140 travels north, to the west of forestland and a quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. The highway parallels the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
throughout its length, always within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the waterway.
Wooden high-tension powerlines parallel the highway until it diverges, curving towards the northeast immediately north of Chippawa Road. It travels diagonally for several kilometres before ascending on an overpass and crossing the former Canadian National Humberstone Subdivision tracks.
The highway gradually straightens to a north–south alignment as it crosses Highway 58A and a set of railway tracks, both of which travel beneath the nearby Welland Canal to the west. Continuing north, Highway 140 passes over Lyons Creek, which meanders northeast to converge with the Welland River
Welland River
The Welland River is a river in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario which flows from its headwaters south of Hamilton, Ontario to empty into the Niagara River near the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario. It drains an area of 880 km²....
west of the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
. The highway ends approximately 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) north of this point at an intersection with Main Street (Niagara Regional Road 27). Main Street travels beneath the Welland Canal immediately west of Highway 140, providing a connection to Highway 406 on the opposite side.
Because of its importance as both a through route past the canal and in linking Highway 140 with Highway 406, East Main Street is maintained the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) as Highway 7146.
History
The history of Highway 140 begins in May 1966, when the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority received Federal approval for the Welland Bypass, a 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) channel that would serve to bypass the canal through downtown Welland, where several crossings proved to be a hazard for shipping traffic and the shipping traffic an impediment to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The new channel would be dug out and flooded,providing the opportunity for the construction of cheap cut and cover tunnels beneath the channel. By 1968, construction was underway on a tunnel at East Main Street and at the Port Colborne – Welland townline.
Due to the numerous road disconnections that would take place as a result of the Welland Bypass, a new highway was proposed to link Welland with Port Colborne.
One of the severed highways was Highway 58, which then followed Canal Bank Street south from Welland.
In late 1970, the Department of Highways tendered contracts for the construction of the new highway on the east side of the bypass.
Construction began from the north, reaching as far south as Ramey Road.
The section north of Townline Road was completed within a year. Around the same time, the third and final contract was tendered for the section north of Highway 3. On May 20, 1972, the Main Street Tunnel was opened to traffic at a morning ceremony featuring local officials and the Welland Police Association Pipe Band.
Highway 140 was opened several months later, without ceremony, on October 5.
It has remained unchanged since then, and was not affected by the provincial highway transfers in 1997 and 1998.
The various municipalities serviced by Highway 140, as well as Niagara Region, have called for four-laning the route and redesignating it as Highway 406. However, the MTO is committed to extending Highway 406 to Highway 58 southwest of Welland. On April 4, 2006, the MPP for Erie—Lincoln
Erie—Lincoln
Erie—Lincoln was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2004, and was a provincial electoral district represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007...
, Tim Hudak
Tim Hudak
Timothy Patrick "Tim" Hudak is a politician in Ontario, Canada, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario . He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook.-Background:Tim Hudak was born in Fort Erie, Ontario...
, introduced a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
.
The Highway 406 to Port Colborne Act passed first reading, but was not brought up for a second reading.
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 140. The entirety of the highway is located within the Regional Municipality of Niagara.{| class=wikitable
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|km
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|rowspan="3"|Port Colborne
|0.0
|
|Highway 3 ends immediately west of Highway 140, but resumes west of Port Colborne
|-
|0.8
|Chippawa Road
|
|-
|5.1
|Forkes Road
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|Welland
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
|7.1
|
|Passes beneath the Welland Canal in Townline Tunnel
Townline Tunnel
The Townline Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Highway 58A as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway under the Welland Canal. The "A" suffix is a misnomer since it is more of a connector than an alternative route. Highway 58A is a two-lane freeway in its...
|-
|8.7
|Ridge Road
|
|-
|9.8
|Buchner Road
|
|-
|10.9
| west to
|Passes beneath Welland Canal in Main Street Tunnel
Main Street Tunnel
The Main Street Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Niagara Road 27 and the unsigned designation of Highway 7146 under the Welland Canal. It is named as a part of East Main Street....