Ontario Highway 24
Route information | |||||||
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Maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario | |||||||
Length | 64.1 km[1] (39.8 mi) | ||||||
Existed | July 2, 1927[2]–present | ||||||
Major junctions | |||||||
South end | Highway 3 in Simcoe | ||||||
Highway 403 in Brantford | |||||||
North end | Cambridge south limits | ||||||
Location | |||||||
Country | Canada | ||||||
Province | Ontario | ||||||
Major cities | Simcoe, Paris, Brantford, Cambridge | ||||||
Highway system | |||||||
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King's Highway 24, commonly referred to as Highway 24, is a highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that currently begins at Highway 3 in Simcoe, and ends at the southern city limits of Cambridge. The south–north route travels through Brantford, as well as the community of Scotland.
Highway 24 has been in service since 1927. Before 1997, when many major highways were declassified, Highway 24 began south of Simcoe in Norfolk near Walshingham, and ended in Collingwood. Much of the section of highway between Caledon Village and Collingwood followed Hurontario Street, with the section of that historic route from Orangeville and Glen Huron being bypassed.
Route description
Highway 24 begins at Highway 3 in the town of Simcoe. The highway once continued south, but this has since been transferred to local jurisdiction and is now Norfolk County Highway 24.[1][3] Within Simcoe, it is maintained under a Connecting Link agreement for approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi).[1] North of the town, Highway 24 travels in a straight line northward through Norfolk County, with farmland dominating the surroundings. As the highway approaches the community of Scotland, it enters Brant County. It turns northeast and bypasses to the east of the community, then meanders through thick forests for several kilometres. It returns to farmland and curves northward before intersecting former Highway 53 (Colborne Street West) near Brantford Municipal Airport.[3][4]
A short distance north of former Highway 53, which is now known as Brant County Highway 53, Highway 24 encounters an interchange with Highway 403 (Exit 27) south of Paris.[3] The route joins concurrently with Highway 403 for 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east into Brantford. Highway 24 splits from Highway 403 to resume its northward orientation at the King George Road interchange (Exit 36). The highway is maintained under a Connecting Link agreement for 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) north of Highway 403, serving as a principal business route through the northern portion of the city.[1][4] Between Brantford and Cambridge, Highway 24 is a busy two lane rural highway that has played host to frequent collisions, prompting a Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) investigation into possible upgrades to the stretch.[5]
Highway 24 is generally straight and flat as it progresses north through the agricultural countryside of Brant County, but suddenly drops into the Grand River Valley as it enters the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. It follows the river along its eastern bank towards Cambridge, ending at the southern city limits.[1][3][4] Within Wellington, Dufferin, Grey and Simcoe counties, the former route of Highway 24 is now designated as County Road 124, while in Waterloo and Peel Regions the route is designated Regional Road 24. Within Wellington County, there is also an unrelated County Road 24.[3]
History
Highway 24 was first designated on July 2, 1927, when the Department of Highways (DHO) assumed the road between Simcoe and Brantford as well as the road connecting Paris, Galt (Cambridge) and Guelph as a new provincial highway. In addition, a concurrency was established with Highway 2 between Brantford and Paris.[2] However, on June 4, 1930 a more direct routing between Brantford and Cambridge was established; the route between Paris and Cambridge was renumbered as Highway 24A.[6] On September 9, 1936, the highway was extended south from Simcoe to Lake Erie then east to Highway 6 in Port Dover. This was followed several months later by an extension from Guelph through Erin to the Wellington–Peel county boundary, which was assumed on March 31, 1937.[7]
On August 11, 1937, the DHO designated the Shelburne to Collingwood Road as Highway 24,[8] with the section to north of Singhampton displacing the historic Hurontario Street as the primary route due to rougher terrain along that road's course making it less desirable for a highway route. The highway turned east at Singhampton and continued to near Glen Huron, where it curved back north to rejoin Hurontario until its terminus in Collingwood. This left a large gap in the highway, including the terminus near Erin that did not end at a provincial highway. This was remedied eight months later when the DHO assumed several county roads in Peel County (now the Regional Municipality of Peel) on April 13, 1938. This established Highway 24 between the county boundary and Orangeville, via Alton, as well as Highway 51 between Highway 10 in Caledon Village and Coulterville.[9] In addition, Highway 10 and Highway 24 were signed concurrently between Orangeville and Shelburne. In 1965, the segment through Alton was redesignated as Highway 136 as Highway 24 was re-routed along a redesignated Highway 51 towards Highway 10 in that year.[citation needed] Construction of a new route for Highway 24 between Simcoe and Brantford began on October 9, 1963.[10]
As part of a series of budget cuts initiated by premier Mike Harris under his Common Sense Revolution platform in 1995, numerous highways deemed to no longer be of significance to the provincial network were decommissioned and responsibility for the routes transferred to a lower level of government, a process referred to as downloading. Portions of Highway 24 were consequently transferred to local jurisdictions in 1997 and 1998. On April 1, 1997, the southernmost section, between Highway 59 and Highway 3 at Simcoe, was transferred to Norfolk County.[11] On January 1, 1998, the section north of Cambridge, through Waterloo and onward to Collingwood, was transferred to the various counties and regions through which it travelled.[12]
Suffixed routes
Highway 24A
Location | Paris – Bannister Lake Complex |
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Length | 7.6 km[11] (4.7 mi) |
Existed | June 4, 1930[6]–April 1, 1997[11] |
Highway 24A was the original route of Highway 24 within what is now Brant County. The route travelled north from Paris to just north of the South Dumfries–North Dumfries boundary, ending at the southern edge of the Bannister Lake Complex in Waterloo Region.[13] While Highway 24 was rerouted to the east on June 4, 1930,[6] the Highway 24A designation did not become official until 1933, with two forks of Highway 24 existing.[14] The route remained unchanged until April 1, 1997, when it was transferred in its entirety to Brant County.[11] It is now known as Brant County Highway 24A.[3]
Future
This section needs to be updated.(February 2019) |
On September 12, 2006, it was announced that the Ontario provincial government would be undertaking a study to determine what improvements would be necessary to bring the highway up to current standards and to handle future growth.
This study (which will be completed in 2009) will focus on the portion of the highway between Cambridge and Brantford, where connections to Highways 401 and 403 exist, but suffer from extreme congestion during peak periods.
Potential improvements/expansions include:
- improving the road surface, lighting and traffic control devices at selected intersections
- widening the road from two to four lanes near urban centres
- complete expansion to a four-lane highway
- construction of a multi-lane, controlled-access freeway
Major intersections
The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 24, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.[1]
Division | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk | Walsingham | −32.1 | −19.9 | County Highway 59 – Port Rowan, Tillsonburg | Decommissioned in 1997 |
Simcoe | 0.0 | 0.0 | Highway 3 – Delhi, Jarvis | Beginning of Simcoe Connecting Link agreement | |
2.5 | 1.6 | End of Simcoe Connecting Link agreement | |||
3.7 | 2.3 | Old Highway 24 – Waterford | |||
Round Plains | 9.1 | 5.7 | County Road 9 | ||
Brant | 18.7 | 11.6 | Burford–Delhi Townline Road | ||
19.7 | 12.2 | County Road 4 (Vanessa Road) | |||
Brantford | 31.2 | 19.4 | Brant County Highway 53 (Colborne Street West) | Former Highway 53 | |
36.0 | 22.4 | Highway 403 west – London | |||
45.0 | 28.0 | Highway 403 east – Hamilton | Beginning of Brantford Connecting Link | ||
Brant | 47.2 | 29.3 | County Road 23 (Powerline Road) | End of Brantford Connecting Link | |
49.2 | 30.6 | County Highway 5 west – Paris / County Highway 99 east – Hamilton | Beginning of former Highway 5 concurrency | ||
52.7 | 32.7 | County Road 35 west (Blue Lake Road) / County Highway 5 east – Burlington | End of former Highway 5 concurrency | ||
59.3 | 36.8 | County Road 144 (Lockie Road) | |||
Waterloo | North Dumfries | ||||
64.1 | 39.8 | Cambridge city limits | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (2016). "Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) counts". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Appendix No. 6 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections of the Provincial Highway System for the Years 1926 and 1927". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1928. pp. 59–61. Retrieved February 2, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f Ontario Back Road Atlas (Map). Cartography by MapArt. Peter Heiler. 2010. pp. 10, 16–17, 22, 29. §§ A23–W27. ISBN 978-1-55198-226-7.
- ^ a b c "Highway 24 – Length and Route" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ Ball, Vincent (December 7, 2020). "MTO making safety improvements to Highway 24 intersection". Brantford Expositor. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Appendix 5 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1931. p. 76.
- ^ "Appendix 4 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1937. p. 51.
- ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1938. pp. 80–81.
- ^ "Appendix 3 - Schedule of Assumptions and Reversions of Sections". Annual Report (Report). Department of Highways. March 31, 1939. p. 84.
- ^ "Start Building 70-MPH Road". The Windsor Star. Vol. 91, no. 32. October 9, 1963. p. 24. Retrieved March 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Highway Transfers List (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. April 1, 1997. p. 2, 4.
- ^ Highway Transfers List - "Who Does What" (Report). Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. June 20, 2001. pp. 3, 5–6, 13, 15.
- ^ a b Golden Horseshoe StreetFinder (Map). 1:250,000. Cartography by Rand McNally. Allmaps Canada. 1996. p. 248. § H25.
- ^ Ontario Road Map (Map). Cartography by D. Barclay. Ontario Department of Highways. 1933–34. Mileage Tables inset. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Archives of Ontario.
- Highway 24 expansion
- Highway 24 Corridor Planning and Class EA Study, accessed December 3, 2006
- Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Highway 24, June 15, 2006, question by MPP Dave Levac (Brant), answered by Minister of Transportation Donna Cansfield, accessed 9 October 2007