List of Ontario provincial highways
Encyclopedia
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation maintains the system of provincial highways in the Canadian province of Ontario
.
voie publique):
King's Highways, (which includes Controlled-access highways) and secondary highways, with individual highways referred to as "that part of the King's Highway known as No. xx," or simply "the King's Highway known as No. xx." For the purposes of legal jurisdiction, however, the Highway Traffic Act deems that tertiary roads are also considered to be "King's Highways" (French
route principale).
The term "the King's Highway", first adopted in place of "provincial highway" in 1930,
has been deprecated since the 1990s, and the old signs were replaced circa 1993. Currently these highways are again designated "provincial highways" or "provincially maintained highways" by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The Highway Traffic Act, amended as recently as 2006, still refers to them as "King's Highway". Both terms are sometimes used within the same regulation as the older term is phased out.
The King's Highways are currently numbered 2 to 427. The Ministry of Transportation never designated a Highway 1.
Some highway numbers are suffixed with a letter. The letter will be one of 'A' ("Alternate route"), 'B' ("Business route"), or 'S' ("Scenic route"). In the past, there have also been routes with the 'C' and 'D' suffixes. They were used so rarely, it is merely speculative as to their purpose, but the two routes (40C and 3C, which both formed loops to their parent routes) may have received the C suffix with the intention of C meaning "Connector", and one road (8D, now Cootes Drive
) received the D suffix. Since Cootes Drive was the first fully completed dual carriageway
road in all of Canada at the time (the 1930s), it probably stood for "Diversion", as it looped and bypassed the old alignment of Highway 8 in Hamilton
.
Highway markers take on one of three designs depending on its use. Standard road shields placed on the highway itself consist of a shield
design topped with a crown
. In the current design, the highway number and the word "ONTARIO" appear on the shield. Junction signs (used at intersections and on the signs of 400-Series Highways
) show a large white crown
with the route number in it. Trailblazer signs (those indicating a route "to" a highway) will look like one of the first two but will be green instead of white.
The speed limit on King's Highways is generally 80 km/h (50 mph) in rural areas and 50 km/h (31 mph) in urban areas. On rural portions of the Trans-Canada Highway
, on RIRO
and at-grade expressways, and on certain other highways in Northern Ontario
, the speed limit is 90 km/h (56 mph).
are a special class of provincial highways, being designed to be exclusively controlled-access freeways for the entire length of the highway. At present, all of them are located in Southern Ontario
, where they form a network similar to the US Interstate Highways
. The 400-series highways include Highways 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 416, 417, 420, 427, and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
, which, although not designated with a 4xx number on signage, is known as Highway 451 internally within the MTO. Originally, 400-Series route numbers were assigned sequentially, but more recently new routes have been numbered based on the existing highway the new route bypassed or upgraded (Highway 427 being an upgrade of Highway 27, for example).
Although the province also maintains freeways that match 400-Series standards, such as the Conestoga Parkway
, they are not designated with a 400-Series number, even though some of those freeways exceed some existing 400-series highways in size and traffic volume and are in some cases connected to the 400-series network. Nonetheless, Ontario freeways do not receive a 400-series number unless they are designed to be complete controlled-access freeways for their whole length. While at-grade intersections still exist on Highway 406, planning/construction is underway to upgrade them to full freeway standards. The non 400-series routes typically have open-access portions besides the freeway section, with the freeway segment typically being a small section not at the route's termini.
The 400-Series highways are designed to the highest specifications of any provincial highways, with typical design speeds of 100–130 km/h. Nearly all 400-Series highways have posted speeds of 100 km/h, although in a few instances, speeds are lower, usually to account for dangerous or obsolete-design areas. For example, Highway 403 near Hamilton is signed at 90 km/h because of a series of sharp curves, and Highway 402 is signed at 70 km/h on the final approach to the border crossing at the Blue Water Bridge
in Sarnia
.
(and used to exist in Central and Eastern Ontario
) to connect towns and remote areas, often connecting small to large towns to major Kings Highways. These highways are currently numbered from 502 to 673. Secondary highway markers are trapezoid
-shaped. On the face of the marker appear, from top to bottom: the Ontario coat of arms
, the word "ONTARIO", and the number of the highway.
A few secondary highways remain gravel
-surfaced, although most have been paved. The speed limit on nearly all of these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although Highway 655
is posted at 90 km/h (56 mph). The majority of length in the secondary highway system consists of a single continuous yellow centerline, though some segments are up to kings highway standards either because they serve as a quick connector to them (like Highway 655), or because they are former alignments of King's Highways, or that because they approach an intersection with a King's Highway.
The Secondary Highway system was introduced in 1955 to service regions in Northern
and Central Ontario. In Northern Ontario, where there is no county
-level system of government to take over road maintenance, secondary highways are still in operation and serve a function analogous to that of a county road, while those in Southern Ontario have all been downloaded to the counties and rolled into the county road systems there.
route) has the same meaning as highway. These roads are currently numbered 801 to 811, and are marked by a simple rectangular marker with rounded corners bearing the number of the highway and the word "ONTARIO".
Most of these roads are gravel-surfaced and low-standard. The speed limit on these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although design standards generally override such.
The Ministry of Transportation introduced the Tertiary Road system in 1962. These roads were mostly resource access roads generally built into the most remote areas in Northern Ontario. These roads were constructed in small numbers, and with one exception (Highway 802
), do not end at a settlement. Most of these Tertiary Roads were later upgraded and rebuilt to Secondary Highway standards. At present, there are only six tertiary roads in Ontario. All are gravel roads, except for Hwy 802 and Hwy 805, which both have some paved sections.
As a further note, some roads are designated as 7000-series highways but are discontinuous, connected by "non-assumed" roads (roads not under provincial control, such as county roads, or town streets), linking both parts that share the same number.
Also, in Southern Ontario
and in the city of Greater Sudbury there are systems of regional, municipal or county roads that are also numbered. These roads are maintained by the local government (Township, City, or County/Region), not by the province.
There are also several formerly designated Ontario Tourist Routes that were located throughout the entire province, but these have since become harder to find, as many signs have been taken down. There are also "Historic Colonization Roads" throughout Central and Eastern Ontario
, shown on maps and on street signs. See List of Ontario Historic Colonization Roads for more information.
government transferred, or downloaded, several thousand kilometres of provincially maintained highways to the various municipalities
in which they are located. These transfers were performed under the reasoning that they served a mostly local function, as a cost-saving measure and as part of a broader exchange of responsibilities between the province and its municipalities. The transfers continue to cause confusion to motorists due to gaps in the middle of several highways and unremoved reassurance marker
s in municipalities with former Connecting Link
agreements, including Toronto
, Ottawa
and London
.
1767.6 kilometres (1,098.3 mi) of highway was removed from the King's Highway system on April 1, 1997. This was followed by 3211.1 kilometres (1,995.3 mi) on January 1, 1998, for a total of 4978.7 kilometres (3,093.6 mi).
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....
.
Highway classes
Ontario has several distinct classes of highways (FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
voie publique):
King's Highways, (which includes Controlled-access highways) and secondary highways, with individual highways referred to as "that part of the King's Highway known as No. xx," or simply "the King's Highway known as No. xx." For the purposes of legal jurisdiction, however, the Highway Traffic Act deems that tertiary roads are also considered to be "King's Highways" (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
route principale).
The term "the King's Highway", first adopted in place of "provincial highway" in 1930,
has been deprecated since the 1990s, and the old signs were replaced circa 1993. Currently these highways are again designated "provincial highways" or "provincially maintained highways" by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The Highway Traffic Act, amended as recently as 2006, still refers to them as "King's Highway". Both terms are sometimes used within the same regulation as the older term is phased out.
King's Highways
Some highway numbers are suffixed with a letter. The letter will be one of 'A' ("Alternate route"), 'B' ("Business route"), or 'S' ("Scenic route"). In the past, there have also been routes with the 'C' and 'D' suffixes. They were used so rarely, it is merely speculative as to their purpose, but the two routes (40C and 3C, which both formed loops to their parent routes) may have received the C suffix with the intention of C meaning "Connector", and one road (8D, now Cootes Drive
Cootes Drive
Cootes Drive, formerly known as the Dundas Diversion, is a city street in Hamilton, Ontario. The route connects York Boulevard and King Street in Dundas with Highway 2 and Highway 8 to the southeast, and is considered the first divided highway in Canada....
) received the D suffix. Since Cootes Drive was the first fully completed dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
road in all of Canada at the time (the 1930s), it probably stood for "Diversion", as it looped and bypassed the old alignment of Highway 8 in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
Highway markers take on one of three designs depending on its use. Standard road shields placed on the highway itself consist of a shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
design topped with a crown
Crown (heraldry)
A Crown is often an emblem of the monarchy, a monarch's government, or items endorsed by it; see The Crown. A specific type of crown is employed in heraldry under strict rules....
. In the current design, the highway number and the word "ONTARIO" appear on the shield. Junction signs (used at intersections and on the signs of 400-Series Highways
400-series highways (Ontario)
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the British Motorway...
) show a large white crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
with the route number in it. Trailblazer signs (those indicating a route "to" a highway) will look like one of the first two but will be green instead of white.
The speed limit on King's Highways is generally 80 km/h (50 mph) in rural areas and 50 km/h (31 mph) in urban areas. On rural portions of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
, on RIRO
Right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out and left-in/left-out refer to a type of road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. RIRO is usual where vehicles drive on the right, and LILO is usual where vehicles drive on the left...
and at-grade expressways, and on certain other highways in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, the speed limit is 90 km/h (56 mph).
400-series Highways
400-Series Highways400-series highways (Ontario)
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the British Motorway...
are a special class of provincial highways, being designed to be exclusively controlled-access freeways for the entire length of the highway. At present, all of them are located in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, where they form a network similar to the US Interstate Highways
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
. The 400-series highways include Highways 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 416, 417, 420, 427, and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...
, which, although not designated with a 4xx number on signage, is known as Highway 451 internally within the MTO. Originally, 400-Series route numbers were assigned sequentially, but more recently new routes have been numbered based on the existing highway the new route bypassed or upgraded (Highway 427 being an upgrade of Highway 27, for example).
Although the province also maintains freeways that match 400-Series standards, such as the Conestoga Parkway
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
, they are not designated with a 400-Series number, even though some of those freeways exceed some existing 400-series highways in size and traffic volume and are in some cases connected to the 400-series network. Nonetheless, Ontario freeways do not receive a 400-series number unless they are designed to be complete controlled-access freeways for their whole length. While at-grade intersections still exist on Highway 406, planning/construction is underway to upgrade them to full freeway standards. The non 400-series routes typically have open-access portions besides the freeway section, with the freeway segment typically being a small section not at the route's termini.
The 400-Series highways are designed to the highest specifications of any provincial highways, with typical design speeds of 100–130 km/h. Nearly all 400-Series highways have posted speeds of 100 km/h, although in a few instances, speeds are lower, usually to account for dangerous or obsolete-design areas. For example, Highway 403 near Hamilton is signed at 90 km/h because of a series of sharp curves, and Highway 402 is signed at 70 km/h on the final approach to the border crossing at the Blue Water Bridge
Blue Water Bridge
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
in Sarnia
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
.
Secondary
Secondary highways exist in Northern OntarioNorthern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
(and used to exist in Central and Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
) to connect towns and remote areas, often connecting small to large towns to major Kings Highways. These highways are currently numbered from 502 to 673. Secondary highway markers are trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
-shaped. On the face of the marker appear, from top to bottom: the Ontario coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, the word "ONTARIO", and the number of the highway.
A few secondary highways remain gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
-surfaced, although most have been paved. The speed limit on nearly all of these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although Highway 655
Highway 655 (Ontario)
Highway 655 is a secondary highway in the Cochrane District in Northern Ontario. The highway is about long. It is heavily used by trucks as a critical access road to Timmins...
is posted at 90 km/h (56 mph). The majority of length in the secondary highway system consists of a single continuous yellow centerline, though some segments are up to kings highway standards either because they serve as a quick connector to them (like Highway 655), or because they are former alignments of King's Highways, or that because they approach an intersection with a King's Highway.
The Secondary Highway system was introduced in 1955 to service regions in Northern
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
and Central Ontario. In Northern Ontario, where there is no county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
-level system of government to take over road maintenance, secondary highways are still in operation and serve a function analogous to that of a county road, while those in Southern Ontario have all been downloaded to the counties and rolled into the county road systems there.
Tertiary
Tertiary roads connect those regions in northern Ontario not served by secondary highways. Legally, "road" (FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
route) has the same meaning as highway. These roads are currently numbered 801 to 811, and are marked by a simple rectangular marker with rounded corners bearing the number of the highway and the word "ONTARIO".
Most of these roads are gravel-surfaced and low-standard. The speed limit on these routes is 80 km/h (50 mph), although design standards generally override such.
The Ministry of Transportation introduced the Tertiary Road system in 1962. These roads were mostly resource access roads generally built into the most remote areas in Northern Ontario. These roads were constructed in small numbers, and with one exception (Highway 802
Highway 802 (Ontario)
Tertiary Highway 802, commonly referred to as Highway 802, is a provincially maintained access road in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Thunder Bay District.- Route description :...
), do not end at a settlement. Most of these Tertiary Roads were later upgraded and rebuilt to Secondary Highway standards. At present, there are only six tertiary roads in Ontario. All are gravel roads, except for Hwy 802 and Hwy 805, which both have some paved sections.
Others
In addition to these three classes of highways, the Ministry of Transportation maintains other roads (Resource roads, Industrial roads) that are of strategic importance to the Ministry, but which are not important enough to be given any special marking. These roads are designated with 7000-series numbers for internal inventory purposes, though they are not publicly marked as such. These are frequently, but not always, former highway segments which lost their original highway designation but remain important as connecting routes to communities or other highways.As a further note, some roads are designated as 7000-series highways but are discontinuous, connected by "non-assumed" roads (roads not under provincial control, such as county roads, or town streets), linking both parts that share the same number.
Also, in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
and in the city of Greater Sudbury there are systems of regional, municipal or county roads that are also numbered. These roads are maintained by the local government (Township, City, or County/Region), not by the province.
There are also several formerly designated Ontario Tourist Routes that were located throughout the entire province, but these have since become harder to find, as many signs have been taken down. There are also "Historic Colonization Roads" throughout Central and Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
, shown on maps and on street signs. See List of Ontario Historic Colonization Roads for more information.
Transfers
On April 1, 1997, and January 1, 1998, the OntarioOntario
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....
government transferred, or downloaded, several thousand kilometres of provincially maintained highways to the various municipalities
Municipality
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...
in which they are located. These transfers were performed under the reasoning that they served a mostly local function, as a cost-saving measure and as part of a broader exchange of responsibilities between the province and its municipalities. The transfers continue to cause confusion to motorists due to gaps in the middle of several highways and unremoved reassurance marker
Reassurance marker
A reassurance marker or road identification sign is a road sign that repeats the name or number of the current route. Typically posted at intervals alongside a numbered highway, the signs are intended to reassure drivers that they are traveling on the desired road .- North America :In the United...
s in municipalities with former Connecting Link
Connecting Link
The Connecting Link program is a provincial subsidy provided to municipalities to assist with road construction, maintenance and repairs in the Canadian province of Ontario. Roads which are designated as connecting links form the portions of provincial highways through built-up communities which...
agreements, including Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
1767.6 kilometres (1,098.3 mi) of highway was removed from the King's Highway system on April 1, 1997. This was followed by 3211.1 kilometres (1,995.3 mi) on January 1, 1998, for a total of 4978.7 kilometres (3,093.6 mi).
External links
- Ministry of Transportation Ontario
- Official Ontario road map (from MTO)
- Ontario Highway 11 Homepage - A Virtual Town-by-Town Trip Along the World's Longest Street
- Ontario Highway Route Markers
- Ontario Highway Traffic Act - Rules of the Road
- Ontario Provincial Highways
- OntHighways.com
- Road Signs of Ontario
- Ontario Highways The King's Highway System
- The History of Ontario's Kings Highways
- The King's Highway Ends Site