Highway 9 (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
King's Highway 9, also known as Highway 9, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario
. Often cited as an example of poor planning, Highway 9 has been divided into two segments since January 1, 1998, when the segment between Harriston
and Orangeville
was downloaded to the various counties in which it resided. The western segment of the highway begins at Highway 21 in Kincardine
, near the shores of Lake Huron. It travels 73 km (45.4 mi) to the junction of Highway 23 and Highway 89 in Harriston. The central segment is now known as Wellington County Road 109 and Dufferin County Road 109. At Highway 10 in Orangeville, Highway 9 resumes and travels east to Highway 400. The highway once continued east to Yonge Street in Newmarket
, but is now known as York Regional Road 31.
Highway 9 was first assumed into the provincial highway system on February 26, 1920 as the Arthur–Kincardine Road. It was extended to Cookstown in the early 1930s via Orangeville and Shelburne
, creating a short lived concurrency with Highway 10. In 1937, the road between Orangville and Schomberg
was designated part of Highway 9. The concurrency was discontinued, and the remainder became Highway 89. In 1965, Highway 9 was extended to Newmarket along Davis Drive.
for 40 km (24.9 mi), through the Saugeen Conservation Lands to the town of Walkerton
. Within Walkerton, Highway 9 turns south at a junction with Bruce County Road 4. It travels south to the village of Mildmay
, where it curves to the south-east. The highway continues in this direction through the villages of Clifford
and Harriston, forming the centre of a thin band of farmland oriented at a 45 degree angle to the surrounding land. In the centre of Harriston, Highway 9 ends at a four way junction. Highway 89 travels north-east from this location, while Highway 23 travels south-west. Highway 9 formerly continued south-west, but is now known as Wellington County Road 109 past this junction.
At Highway 10 in Orangeville, Highway 9 resumes and travels east to Highway 400, crossing the Niagara Escarpment
along the way. The highway once continued east to Yonge Street in Newmarket
, but this section is known as York Regional Road 31. Highway 9 ends at an interchange with Highway 400. A commuter parking lot is provided for carpooling.
, Grey County
and Clearview
, Simcoe County, south of Singhampton, through Flesherton
(on the then Toronto–Sydenham Settlement Road, today Ontario Highway 10), Durham
(on the Garafraxa Settlement Road, today Ontario Highway 6, and one reason the road took its name), Hanover
and Walkerton to Kincardine. The western section from Kincardine to Walkerton is today Highway 9, and the other sections to the east were at one point part of Ontario Highway 4, and today Bruce County Road 4 and Grey County Road 4.
On February 26, 1920, the Arthur–Kincardine Road was designated as a provincial highway. It connected what would become Highway 6 with Kincardine, on the shores of Lake Huron. In August 1925, the road was numbered as Highway 9, alongside the other existing provincial highways. The route was extended to Cookstown in the early 1930s. The road between Arthur and Orangeville was assumed as part of Highway 9 on March 12, 1930; the road between Shelburne and Cookstown was assumed on May 27, 1931.
The two roads were connected by creating a concurrency along Highway 10. On February 10, 1937, the road between Orangville and Schomberg was designated part of Highway 9.
To alleviate the forked path of the highway, the concurrency with Highway 10 was discontinued and the road between Shelburne and Cookstown was renumbered as Highway 89. By October 1963, Davis Drive was built west of Newmarket, across the Holland Marsh to Schomberg. On July 23, 1965, Highway 9 was extended to Newmarket along Davis Drive, bringing its total length to 191.7 km (119.1 mi).
A long-standing issue through most of the history of Highway 9 is the Orangeville Bypass. In the 1960s, the Highway 10 bypass was constructed. At the same time, Highway 9 was rerouted from its straight route to meet the new bypass, creating Buena Vista Drive as a result. Starting in 1978, numerous plans were formulated for a southern bypass of Broadway, none of which came to fruition.
Orangeville eventually resorted to constructing the road themselves, completing several kilometres before local Member of Provincial Parliament and premier Ernie Eves
contributed C$7 million of provincial funding to the project. The 6.8 km (4.2 mi) bypass was finally opened to traffic on August 3, 2005.
On January 1, 1998, the province transferred sections of Highway 9 between Harriston and Orangeville to Dufferin County and Wellington County
, creating a 67.7 km (42.1 mi) gap between sections of the highway. This transfer has been widely contested since it took place, often used as an example for the hastily executed highway transfers in Ontario.
On September 1, 1999, the Regional Municipality of York assumed responsibility for the section of Highway 9 between Highway 400 and Yonge Street.
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....
. Often cited as an example of poor planning, Highway 9 has been divided into two segments since January 1, 1998, when the segment between Harriston
Harriston, Ontario
Harriston is a community in the town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Although Harriston was formerly a village, it was amalgamated with Palmerston and Clifford to create Minto. The village has one public school , as well as shops and restaurants...
and Orangeville
Orangeville, Ontario
Orangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-History:Before European settlers, Orangeville was thought to be a native hunting ground...
was downloaded to the various counties in which it resided. The western segment of the highway begins at Highway 21 in Kincardine
Kincardine, Ontario
The Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres...
, near the shores of Lake Huron. It travels 73 km (45.4 mi) to the junction of Highway 23 and Highway 89 in Harriston. The central segment is now known as Wellington County Road 109 and Dufferin County Road 109. At Highway 10 in Orangeville, Highway 9 resumes and travels east to Highway 400. The highway once continued east to Yonge Street in Newmarket
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, but is now known as York Regional Road 31.
Highway 9 was first assumed into the provincial highway system on February 26, 1920 as the Arthur–Kincardine Road. It was extended to Cookstown in the early 1930s via Orangeville and Shelburne
Shelburne, Ontario
Shelburne, Ontario is a town in Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada, located at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 89...
, creating a short lived concurrency with Highway 10. In 1937, the road between Orangville and Schomberg
Schomberg, Ontario
Schomberg is an unincorporated village in northwestern King, Ontario, Canada. Situated north of the Oak Ridges Moraine and south of the Holland River, the village is surrounded by natural attractions....
was designated part of Highway 9. The concurrency was discontinued, and the remainder became Highway 89. In 1965, Highway 9 was extended to Newmarket along Davis Drive.
Route description
Highway 9 begins at the edge of Kincardine near the eastern shoreline of Lake Huron. The roadway continues west past Highway 21 to the lake as Broadway Street. To the east of Highway 21, the highway travels along a concession roadConcession road
In Upper and Lower Canada, concession roads were laid out by the colonial government through undeveloped land to define lots to be developed; the name comes from a Lower Canadian French term for a row of lots. Concession roads are straight, and follow an approximately square grid, usually oriented...
for 40 km (24.9 mi), through the Saugeen Conservation Lands to the town of Walkerton
Walkerton, Ontario
Walkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County...
. Within Walkerton, Highway 9 turns south at a junction with Bruce County Road 4. It travels south to the village of Mildmay
Mildmay, Ontario
Mildmay is a community in the Municipality of South Bruce, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Mildmay is located northwest of Minto and south of Walkerton on Highway 9. Formosa lies tothe northwest, and Neustadt to the east....
, where it curves to the south-east. The highway continues in this direction through the villages of Clifford
Clifford, Ontario
Clifford is a community in the Town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada.The village of Clifford was founded around 1855 as Minto Village. After the opening of the post office in 1856, the settlement was renamed Clifford by the first postmaster Francis Brown after Clifford in West...
and Harriston, forming the centre of a thin band of farmland oriented at a 45 degree angle to the surrounding land. In the centre of Harriston, Highway 9 ends at a four way junction. Highway 89 travels north-east from this location, while Highway 23 travels south-west. Highway 9 formerly continued south-west, but is now known as Wellington County Road 109 past this junction.
At Highway 10 in Orangeville, Highway 9 resumes and travels east to Highway 400, crossing the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
along the way. The highway once continued east to Yonge Street in Newmarket
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, but this section is known as York Regional Road 31. Highway 9 ends at an interchange with Highway 400. A commuter parking lot is provided for carpooling.
History
The portion of Highway 9 between Kincardine and the junction with Yonge Street in Walkerton was built originally as the Durham Settlement Road or Durham Road for short. The Durham Road was surveyed and constructed between 1849 and 1851. It extended from the border between present-day Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands, Ontario
Grey Highlands is a municipality in the southeast corner of Grey County, Ontario, Canada that was formed on January 1, 2001 by the amalgamation of the village of Markdale and the townships of Artemesia, Euphrasia and Osprey, which included the unincorporated hamlets of Eugenia Ceylon, Maxwell,...
, Grey County
Grey County, Ontario
Grey County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. The population was 92,411 in 2006. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario...
and Clearview
Clearview, Ontario
Clearview is a township in central Ontario, Canada, west of Barrie and south of Collingwood and Wasaga Beach in Simcoe County.-History:Clearview Township was established on January 1, 1994 when the Town of Stayner, The Village of Creemore and the Townships of Nottawasaga and Sunnidale were...
, Simcoe County, south of Singhampton, through Flesherton
Flesherton, Ontario
Flesherton is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, located at the junction of Highway 10 and Grey County Road 4...
(on the then Toronto–Sydenham Settlement Road, today Ontario Highway 10), Durham
Durham, Ontario
Durham is a community in the municipality of West Grey, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. Durham is located near the base of the Bruce Peninsula.-Location:...
(on the Garafraxa Settlement Road, today Ontario Highway 6, and one reason the road took its name), Hanover
Hanover, Ontario
Hanover is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in southern Grey County, west of Durham and east of Walkerton on Grey/Bruce Road 4. Hanover marks the border between Grey County and Bruce County.-History:...
and Walkerton to Kincardine. The western section from Kincardine to Walkerton is today Highway 9, and the other sections to the east were at one point part of Ontario Highway 4, and today Bruce County Road 4 and Grey County Road 4.
On February 26, 1920, the Arthur–Kincardine Road was designated as a provincial highway. It connected what would become Highway 6 with Kincardine, on the shores of Lake Huron. In August 1925, the road was numbered as Highway 9, alongside the other existing provincial highways. The route was extended to Cookstown in the early 1930s. The road between Arthur and Orangeville was assumed as part of Highway 9 on March 12, 1930; the road between Shelburne and Cookstown was assumed on May 27, 1931.
The two roads were connected by creating a concurrency along Highway 10. On February 10, 1937, the road between Orangville and Schomberg was designated part of Highway 9.
To alleviate the forked path of the highway, the concurrency with Highway 10 was discontinued and the road between Shelburne and Cookstown was renumbered as Highway 89. By October 1963, Davis Drive was built west of Newmarket, across the Holland Marsh to Schomberg. On July 23, 1965, Highway 9 was extended to Newmarket along Davis Drive, bringing its total length to 191.7 km (119.1 mi).
A long-standing issue through most of the history of Highway 9 is the Orangeville Bypass. In the 1960s, the Highway 10 bypass was constructed. At the same time, Highway 9 was rerouted from its straight route to meet the new bypass, creating Buena Vista Drive as a result. Starting in 1978, numerous plans were formulated for a southern bypass of Broadway, none of which came to fruition.
Orangeville eventually resorted to constructing the road themselves, completing several kilometres before local Member of Provincial Parliament and premier Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
contributed C$7 million of provincial funding to the project. The 6.8 km (4.2 mi) bypass was finally opened to traffic on August 3, 2005.
On January 1, 1998, the province transferred sections of Highway 9 between Harriston and Orangeville to Dufferin County and Wellington County
Wellington County, Ontario
Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...
, creating a 67.7 km (42.1 mi) gap between sections of the highway. This transfer has been widely contested since it took place, often used as an example for the hastily executed highway transfers in Ontario.
On September 1, 1999, the Regional Municipality of York assumed responsibility for the section of Highway 9 between Highway 400 and Yonge Street.
Major intersections
| Division | Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Bruce County, Ontario Bruce County is a county in western Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. As of 2006, the population was 65,349. The area was . The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario. It is located at .... |
Kincardine Kincardine, Ontario The Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres... |
0.0 | ||
| Kinloss | ||||
| 26.6 | Formerly Highway 4 | |||
| 33.8 | ||||
| Walkerton Walkerton, Ontario Walkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County... |
40.0 | Formerly Highway 4 | ||
| Mildmay Mildmay, Ontario Mildmay is a community in the Municipality of South Bruce, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Mildmay is located northwest of Minto and south of Walkerton on Highway 9. Formosa lies tothe northwest, and Neustadt to the east.... |
48.7 | |||
| 59.3 | Huron–Bruce Road | |||
| Huron Huron County, Ontario Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province... |
||||
| Clifford Clifford, Ontario Clifford is a community in the Town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada.The village of Clifford was founded around 1855 as Minto Village. After the opening of the post office in 1856, the settlement was renamed Clifford by the first postmaster Francis Brown after Clifford in West... |
61.3 | |||
| Wellington Wellington County, Ontario Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices... |
||||
| 62.8 | ||||
| Harriston Harriston, Ontario Harriston is a community in the town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Although Harriston was formerly a village, it was amalgamated with Palmerston and Clifford to create Minto. The village has one public school , as well as shops and restaurants... |
72.8 | |||
| Highway 9 is discontinuous for 67.7 km (42.1 mi) between Harriston and Orangeville | ||||
| Dufferin Dufferin County, Ontario Dufferin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Deputy Mayor Warren Maycock of the Town of Orangeville, Ontario. The Current Chief Administrative Officer is Linda J. Dean... / Peel |
Orangeville Orangeville, Ontario Orangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-History:Before European settlers, Orangeville was thought to be a native hunting ground... |
140.7 | ||
| Mono Mills | 149.8 | |||
| 151.5 | Mono–Adjala Townline | Highway 9 crosses the Niagara Escarpment Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois... |
||
| Simcoe Simcoe County, Ontario Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west... / Peel |
||||
| 158.7 | Formerly Highway 50 Ontario Highway 50 King's Highway 50, commonly referred to as Highway 50, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway was decommissioned in 1998, though locals still frequently refer to it as Highway 50... |
|||
| 164.4 | ||||
| Simcoe Simcoe County, Ontario Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west... / York |
Schomberg Schomberg, Ontario Schomberg is an unincorporated village in northwestern King, Ontario, Canada. Situated north of the Oak Ridges Moraine and south of the Holland River, the village is surrounded by natural attractions.... |
179.7 | Formerly Highway 27 Ontario Highway 27 Highway 27, formerly known as King's Highway 27, was a provincially maintained highway in southern Ontario that is now cared for by the city of Toronto, York Region and Simcoe County. It is considered an undivided expressway in Toronto's municipal expressway network... |
|
| York | 186.7 | Exit 55 | ||
External links
- Ontario Highways 1–20
- Ontario Highway 9 Photos
- http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10392543107854785950,44.174970,-81.614770%3B3139574275380659127,44.097860,-81.144070%3B13598754179854336408,43.917810,-80.103950%3B18089120257683669868,44.054850,-79.480370&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=HWY-9+%4044.174970,+-81.614770&daddr=HWY-9+%4044.097860,+-81.144070+to:Broadway+%4043.917810,+-80.103950+to:HWY-9+%4044.054850,+-79.480370&sll=44.052557,-81.055756&sspn=0.190489,0.466919&ie=UTF8&z=8&om=1Google Maps of Highway 9]