Ontario Highway 50
Encyclopedia
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. Highway 50 began in the northwest corner of Toronto
at Highway 27
and travelled northwest to Highway 89 west of the town of Alliston
.
with Metropolitan Toronto
, bearing little resemblance to the rural highway north of the city.
The former route of Highway 50 begins as an urban arterial thoroughfare; an extension of Albion Road. Unlike most other major roads in Toronto, it travels diagonally through the city grid. At Steeles Avenue West, the road curves north and serves as the boundary between Brampton
to the west and Vaughan
to the east, in the regions of Peel and York, respectively. North of the former Highway 7
, the road passes to the east of the community of Ebenezer and then west of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Vaughan Intermodal Facility
, a large rail yard. At Mayfield Road (Peel Regional Road 14), which serves as the Brampton and Caledon boundary, the route curves west, falling entirely within Peel Region, and enters the village of Bolton
.
North of Bolton, the road enters a rural stretch, where it divides two golf courses and provides access to Albion Hills Conservation Area. Shortly thereafter it enters the village of Palgrave
, veering to the west to avoid a pond
. North of Palgrave, the road is mostly rural, surrounded by open farmland
; to the west is Palgrave Conservation Area. The road meets Highway 9 and curves northward, entering Simcoe County. It travels straight through the small hamlet of Loretto on its final leg northward. The former highway ends at Highway 89, west of Alliston, the location of a Honda Manufacturing plant.
One year later, on August 11, 1937, the route was extended north to Highway 9. On October 6, it was extended south to Highway 7 along the York–Peel boundary.
Highway 50 was downloaded, a process that transfers responsibility for funding and maintenance of a highway to the various jurisdictions it resided within, beginning on April 1, 1997. On that day, the section between Steeles Avenue
and Highway 7 was transferred to the joint jurisdiction of the Regional Municipalities of York and Peel, and the connecting link in downtown Bolton transferred to the Town of Caledon. The road was numbered Peel Regional Road 24 on July 10, 1997, but renumbered as Peel Regional Road 50 on March 26, 1998. York Region did not follow suit with this change, and so the road is still designated as York Regional Road 24 by their Public Works Department.
The sections of Highway 50 north of Highway 7 was transferred to the regions of York and Peel and the County of Simcoe on January 1, 1998,
decommissioning the designation entirely. A final transfer took place on August 13, 1998 between the Town of Caledon and Region of Peel, when the former connecting link through Bolton was assumed as part of Peel Regional Road 50.
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 was decommissioned in 1998, though locals still frequently refer to it as Highway 50. Highway 50 began in the northwest corner of 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...
at 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...
and travelled northwest to Highway 89 west of the town of Alliston
Alliston, Ontario
Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth...
.
Route description
Highway 50 began at Highway 27 in the northwest corner of Toronto. Between there and Steeles, it was maintained as a connecting linkConnecting 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...
with Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
, bearing little resemblance to the rural highway north of the city.
The former route of Highway 50 begins as an urban arterial thoroughfare; an extension of Albion Road. Unlike most other major roads in Toronto, it travels diagonally through the city grid. At Steeles Avenue West, the road curves north and serves as the boundary between Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
to the west and Vaughan
Vaughan
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
to the east, in the regions of Peel and York, respectively. North of the former Highway 7
Ontario Highway 7
King's Highway 7, commonly referred to as Highway 7 and historically as the Northern Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
, the road passes to the east of the community of Ebenezer and then west of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
Vaughan Intermodal Facility
CPR Vaughan Intermodal
The CPR Vaughan Intermodal facility is an intermodal rail-truck terminal serving the Greater Toronto Area from a property adjacent to the Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental main line in Vaughan, Ontario....
, a large rail yard. At Mayfield Road (Peel Regional Road 14), which serves as the Brampton and Caledon boundary, the route curves west, falling entirely within Peel Region, and enters the village of Bolton
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton is the most populated community in the town of Caledon, located in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. In regional documents, it is referred to as a 'Rural Service Centre'. It has 26,478 residents in 8,721 households...
.
North of Bolton, the road enters a rural stretch, where it divides two golf courses and provides access to Albion Hills Conservation Area. Shortly thereafter it enters the village of Palgrave
Palgrave, Ontario
Palgrave is a suburban community, located in the Town of Caledon, Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 10 km north of Bolton and about 50 km northwest of Toronto...
, veering to the west to avoid a pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
. North of Palgrave, the road is mostly rural, surrounded by open farmland
Farmland
Farmland generally refers to agricultural land, or land currently used for the purposes of farming. It may also refer to:*Arable land, land capable of cultivating crops*Farmland, Indiana, a town in the United States...
; to the west is Palgrave Conservation Area. The road meets Highway 9 and curves northward, entering Simcoe County. It travels straight through the small hamlet of Loretto on its final leg northward. The former highway ends at Highway 89, west of Alliston, the location of a Honda Manufacturing plant.
History
Highway 50 was first assumed by the Department of Highways as part of the King's Highway network in 1936, connecting Highway 49 with Bolton. On August 12, 1936, the 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) route was designated.One year later, on August 11, 1937, the route was extended north to Highway 9. On October 6, it was extended south to Highway 7 along the York–Peel boundary.
Highway 50 was downloaded, a process that transfers responsibility for funding and maintenance of a highway to the various jurisdictions it resided within, beginning on April 1, 1997. On that day, the section between Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
and Highway 7 was transferred to the joint jurisdiction of the Regional Municipalities of York and Peel, and the connecting link in downtown Bolton transferred to the Town of Caledon. The road was numbered Peel Regional Road 24 on July 10, 1997, but renumbered as Peel Regional Road 50 on March 26, 1998. York Region did not follow suit with this change, and so the road is still designated as York Regional Road 24 by their Public Works Department.
The sections of Highway 50 north of Highway 7 was transferred to the regions of York and Peel and the County of Simcoe on January 1, 1998,
decommissioning the designation entirely. A final transfer took place on August 13, 1998 between the Town of Caledon and Region of Peel, when the former connecting link through Bolton was assumed as part of Peel Regional Road 50.
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 50.| Division | Location | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
Etobicoke | 0.0 | ||
| 2.7 | Steeles Avenue West | |||
| Peel–York | Brampton Brampton Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :... –Vaughan Vaughan Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern... |
|||
| 3.7 | ||||
| 4.7 | ||||
| 13.0 | ||||
| 14.4 | ||||
| Caledon Caledon, Ontario Caledon is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. In terms of land use, Caledon is somewhat urban, though it is primarily rural in nature... |
||||
| 19.3 | ||||
| 26.8 | ||||
| 33.9 | ||||
| Simcoe | New Tecumseth New Tecumseth, Ontario New Tecumseth is a town in south-central Ontario, in the County of Simcoe. While it is not officially a part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is counted, in terms of the census, as being a part of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area.-Communities:... |
|||
| 40.3 | ||||
| 43.2 | ||||
| Alliston | 53.5 |