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Highway 169 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 169, commonly referred to as Highway 169, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. The highway connected Highway 69
at Foot's Bay with Highway 12 southeast of Orillia. in Sundridge
, a distance of 91.6 km (56.9 mi), including a 18.2 km (11.3 mi) concurrency with Highway 11 between Gravenhurst
and Washago.
Originally part of the Highway 69 route, the highway assumed the new 169 designation in 1976 when Highway 69 was realigned along the former Highway 103
route from Foot's Bay to Waubaushene.
The highway was downgraded from provincial highway to county road status during the highway transfers of 1998. On January 1 of that year, the route was designated as Muskoka District Road 169 from Foot's Bay to Gravenhurst, and Simcoe County Road 169 from Washago to Brechin. Through Muskoka District, the road is also known as the Frank Miller
Memorial Route.
, crossing the Black River
immediately south of the latter. Gently curving to the northeast, the route enters the village of Washago, after which it interchanges with Highway 11 south of the Severn River. The two highways travelled concurrently north from this point as a divided four lane freeway to the southern entrance of Gravenhurst; the modern county roads do not travel concurrently along Highway 11.
At Exit 169, the southern entrance to Gravenhurst, the route resumes, exiting the freeway and entering the town through a rock cut. Now in the Canadian Shield
, the terrain is rougher, rockier, and dotted with hundreds of lakes. Exiting Gravenhurst, the highway stays close to the western shore of Lake Muskoka
, serving recreational cottage
s. The route passes north of the Devils Gap Trail, which follows the old Bala–Gravenhurst Colonization Road, then passes through the community of Torrance where it encounters a junction with Muskoka District Road 13. Approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northwest of this point, the highway passes through Bala shortly after curving north at an intersection with Muskoka District Road 38.
The highway presses north, crossing both a Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railway in two separate locations. After intersecting Muskoka District Roads 29 and 26, it enters the community of Glen Orchard. Within that community, the route intersects the former western terminus of Highway 118 (which now ends at Highway 11), then gradually curves west to hug the southern shore of Lake Joseph. After a winding 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) drive west, the highway enters Foot's Bay and ends at Highway 69.
and a new, longer route was designated to the east, merging with Highway 12 north of Brechin.
This routing remained in place until 1976, when the province decided to reroute Highway 69 along Highway 103 between Waubaushene and Foot's Bay. The route of Highway 69 between Foot's Bay and Brechin was renumbered as Highway 169 at this point. The highway remained unmodified throughout its two decades of existence. On January 1, 1998, both sections of Highway 169 were transferred to the municipalities in which they resided; the southern section was transferred to Simcoe County and the northern section to the District Municipality of Muskoka.
Both sections are still numbered 169, though they are now county roads.
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 connected Highway 69
Ontario Highway 69
King's Highway 69, commonly referred to as Highway 69, is a major north–south highway in the central area of the Canadian province of Ontario, linking Highway 400 north of Parry Sound with Sudbury...
at Foot's Bay with Highway 12 southeast of Orillia. in Sundridge
Sundridge, Ontario
Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is...
, a distance of 91.6 km (56.9 mi), including a 18.2 km (11.3 mi) concurrency with Highway 11 between Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst can refer to:*Gravenhurst, Ontario, a town in Canada*Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, a civil parish in England**Upper Gravenhurst, a settlement in the parish*Gravenhurst , a UK band signed to Warp Records...
and Washago.
Originally part of the Highway 69 route, the highway assumed the new 169 designation in 1976 when Highway 69 was realigned along the former Highway 103
Highway 103 (Ontario)
King's Highway 103, commonly referred to as Highway 103, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Muskoka District, the highway extended from Highway 12 at Waubaushene to Highway 69 at Foot's Bay...
route from Foot's Bay to Waubaushene.
The highway was downgraded from provincial highway to county road status during the highway transfers of 1998. On January 1 of that year, the route was designated as Muskoka District Road 169 from Foot's Bay to Gravenhurst, and Simcoe County Road 169 from Washago to Brechin. Through Muskoka District, the road is also known as the Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
Memorial Route.
Route description
The former route of Highway 169 has remained relatively unaltered since it was downloaded in 1998. It begins at an intersection with Highway 12 approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of the Trent Severn Waterway and 16 km (9.9 mi) east of the Atherley Narrows. It proceeds north at a point where Highway 12 begins to curve west towards Orillia, passing through meadows and forests and the occasional ranch. It passes through the community of Udney, curves northeast and intersects the Monck Road while curving back northwards. The highway continues in a straight line through the communities of O'Connell and FawkhamFawkham
Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north-east of Sevenoaks town. The main village in the parish is Fawkham Green. The railway station now called Longfield was originally called Fawkham.The 12th century parish church is...
, crossing the Black River
Black River (Ontario)
Black River may refer to several rivers by that name in the province of Ontario, Canada.*The Black River in Hastings County, Ontario joins the Moira River near Tweed, Ontario....
immediately south of the latter. Gently curving to the northeast, the route enters the village of Washago, after which it interchanges with Highway 11 south of the Severn River. The two highways travelled concurrently north from this point as a divided four lane freeway to the southern entrance of Gravenhurst; the modern county roads do not travel concurrently along Highway 11.
At Exit 169, the southern entrance to Gravenhurst, the route resumes, exiting the freeway and entering the town through a rock cut. Now in 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...
, the terrain is rougher, rockier, and dotted with hundreds of lakes. Exiting Gravenhurst, the highway stays close to the western shore of Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, with the southeast corner in the Town of Gravenhurst. The Town of Bala, Ontario is located on the southwest shores of the...
, serving recreational cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s. The route passes north of the Devils Gap Trail, which follows the old Bala–Gravenhurst Colonization Road, then passes through the community of Torrance where it encounters a junction with Muskoka District Road 13. Approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northwest of this point, the highway passes through Bala shortly after curving north at an intersection with Muskoka District Road 38.
The highway presses north, crossing both a Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railway in two separate locations. After intersecting Muskoka District Roads 29 and 26, it enters the community of Glen Orchard. Within that community, the route intersects the former western terminus of Highway 118 (which now ends at Highway 11), then gradually curves west to hug the southern shore of Lake Joseph. After a winding 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) drive west, the highway enters Foot's Bay and ends at Highway 69.
History
The entire route of highway 169 was originally part of the routing of Highway 69, which was itself first designated in 1936. At that time, the route connected Atherley and Washago along the Rama Road, now Simcoe County Road 44. On April 1, 1937, the Department of Northern Development merged into the Department of Highways, opening roads north of the Severn River for assumption by the department. The road between Gravenhurst and Parry Sound and on to Pointe au Baril subsequently became an extension of Highway 69, while the road between Washago and Gravenhurst became a concurrency between it and Highway 11. During the early-1950s, the southern 17.8 kilometres (11.1 mi) of the route was transferred to local municipalitiesMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a new, longer route was designated to the east, merging with Highway 12 north of Brechin.
This routing remained in place until 1976, when the province decided to reroute Highway 69 along Highway 103 between Waubaushene and Foot's Bay. The route of Highway 69 between Foot's Bay and Brechin was renumbered as Highway 169 at this point. The highway remained unmodified throughout its two decades of existence. On January 1, 1998, both sections of Highway 169 were transferred to the municipalities in which they resided; the southern section was transferred to Simcoe County and the northern section to the District Municipality of Muskoka.
Both sections are still numbered 169, though they are now county roads.