King's Highway Shield Design used from 1960 to 1993.
The Canadian province of Ontario has an extensive network of Primary (King's), Secondary, and Tertiary Highways, with county-level and city-level roads linking between them. Over the years, however, Ontario has turned back numerous highways to municipal government bodies, renumbered them, or upgraded them to 400-series highways.
In 1997 and 1998, many sections of the provincial highway network were downloaded to local municipalities (such as cities, counties or regional municipalities) by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation as a cost-saving measure. While highways were occasionally transferred to local governments in the past, the 1997–1998 downloads represented the most significant changes to Ontario's highway network. Many highways were completely devolved, while of others only short sections remain under provincial jurisdiction (Highway 2, once stretching across Southern Ontario, now is only a few kilometres long). Below is a partial list of partially or wholly devolved highways since 1997.
Township road shield along former Highway 2 in Tyendinaga Township, Hastings County. Much of Highway 2 has been replaced by identically-numbered county or municipal routes.
Highway 2B – Formerly Ontario Highway 2A in Chatham, Ontario from 1961 to 1970; decommissioned and route reverted to local street names (Richmond Street, Queen Street, School Street, 5th Street and Thames Street)
Highway 9 – Split into two segments in Orangeville area and eastern end cut past Highway 400 towards Newmarket due to downgrading of various portions.
Highway 9A
Highway 10 – Hurontario Street in Mississauga and Main Street in Brampton were formerly part of this route, but lost the designation with the completion of Highway 410 through the area. The Highway 10 designation is still in use north of Brampton.
Highway 10B
Highway 11 – from Barrie southward; Now known as Yonge Street, York County Road 1, and Simcoe County Road 4.
Highway 14 – Marmora to Highway 62 near Foxboro, the 14 numbering originally continued south (on what is now Highway 62) to Picton. Only one of the *15 Ontario highways (2–17 with 13 skipped) to be completely dropped from the system.
Highway 15B – Highway 15 west of Carleton Place to Highway 29 in Carleton Place. Renumbered as Highway 7B in 1961.
Highway 16 – Upgraded to a 400 series highway (Highway 416). Only exists as a short connector highway between Highway 416 north of Highway 401 and Leeds & Grenville County Road 2 (formerly Highway 2). The section north of North Gower, which is different from the original route, is designated Ottawa Road 73 (Prince of Wales Drive).
Highway 19 – From terminus at Port Burwell to Highway 3 in Tillsonburg; from Highway 401 to terminus at Highway 86 near Milverton. The section from Tillsonburg to Highway 401 remains.
Highway 38 – Kingston to Highway 7 near Sharbot Lake; now referred to as Kingston, South Frontenac and Central Frontenac Road 38
Highway 39 – Windsor to south of Belle River. (1934–1970. Now Essex County Road 22 from Essex County Road 42 to Essex County Road 2, and Essex County Road 2 into Windsor. Rendered obsolete with the completion of E.C. Row Expressway in 1970, and was absorbed into Highway 2.
Highway 43 – Entirely downgraded. Perth to Alexandria, via Smiths Falls, and Winchester deleted in 1998—Perth to Smith Falls section had been part of Ontario Highway 15 prior to renumbering of the Perth-Carleton Place-Kanata portion of 15's route as Highway 7 in 1961.
Highway 69 – replaced by Highway 400 south of MacTier. Highway's length continues to shrink with extension of Highway 400 to Sudbury, and the number will disappear entirely in the future.
Highway 69B
Highway 70 – renamed Highway 6 from Hepworth to Springmount.
Highway 85 – Became part of Highway 86 in 1981; Waterloo to Elmira was downloaded in 1998, remaining section of Highway 86 renumbered back to Highway 85.
Highway 86 – Original section from Elmira to Amberley downloaded in 1998; rest downloaded or became Highway 85.
Highway 109 – Hwy 500 east of Tory Hill to Paudash. Became part of Highway 121 in 1964.
Highway 110 – Highway 15 west of Carleton Place to Highway 29 in Carleton Place. Renumbered as Highway 15B in 1960.
Highway 111 – Hwy 500 south of Highland Grove to Dyno Mines. Renumbered Secondary Highway 648 in 1964.
Highway 114 – Highway 3 (Former alignment, now Essex County Road 34) in Maidstone, Ontario (now a part of Tecumseh, Ontario, to Highway 98 (Now Essex County Road 46). Part of road is still signed as "Old HWY 114" from Manning Road (Essex County Road 19) to Provincial Road (Essex County Road 46).
Highway 126 – MacDonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401) in the south end of London, Ontario (partially superhighway—Wenige Expressway) to Highway 2, some think extended to Highway 22 (present Fanshawe Park Road East), now known as Highbury Avenue. (The part between Highway 401 and the south Thames River had no name, while a half-mile section from the Thames to Hamilton Road was the Wenige Expwy, and north from there was Highbury Avenue.)
Highway 128 – Highway 17 in Kenora to Redditt. Renumbered Secondary Highway 666 (now 658) in 1974.
Highway 543 – Highway 69 to Dew Drop Road in Sudbury. Downloaded in 1973 upon the creation of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury as Long Lake Road, part of Regional Road 80. Now designated Greater SudburyMunicipal Road 80.
Boulter Road was an un-numbered secondary highway from at least the 1930s. It was downloaded in 1998, with its more-well-known brother road, Highway 517.
Highway 803 - Not currently assigned. Became Highway 101 to Nighthawk Lake in 1997.
Highway 806 - Not currently assigned. Became Highway 545 in 1973.
Highway 807 - Not currently assigned. Became Highway 622 in 1989.
Highway 808 - Not currently assigned. From Highway 599 in Central Patricia to Otoskwin River Bridge. Previously an extension of Highway 599. Decommissioned in 1983.
Highway 809 - Decommissioned road near Boston Creek
Highway 812 - Not currently assigned. Became Highway 502 in 1981.
Highway 813 - Decommissioned road near Sturgeon Falls (identified as Riding Stable Road)
Recycling
Highway numbers have even been "recycled" (used more than once on a provincial highway), however the use tends to be as far as possible from the original routing, and generally a few decades' time separate each numbering, to minimize confusion.
King's Highways
Ontario Highway 49 – Originally Hwy 50 south of Bolton to Kleinburg. Deleted in 1961.
Ontario Highway 51 – Originally ran from Coulterville to Caledon. Became part of Highway 24 in 1961.
Ontario Highway 55 – Originally ran from Highway 53 to the QEW in Hamilton. Deleted in 1961.
Ontario Highway 70 – Originally ran from Highway 71 West of Emo to Highway 17 in Longbow Corner. Became part of Highway 71 in 1961.
Ontario Highway 75 – Originally ran from Highway 3 in Wallacetown to Dutton. Deleted in 1957.
Ontario Highway 77 – Originally ran from Highway 3 in New Glasgow to Rodney. Deleted in 1957.
Ontario Highway 100 – Originally ran from Thamesford to St. Mary's; became part of Highway 19 in 1962.
Ontario Highway 102 – Was originally assigned to Canada's first divided highway, now known as Cootes Drive. It bypassed western Hamilton, from McMaster University to Dundas. Now assigned to the Dawson Road bypass of Thunder Bay.
Ontario Highway 108 – Originally The Queensway, Hwy 27 in Etobicoke to QEW in Toronto. Deleted in 1954.
Ontario Highway 109 – Formerly Eglinton Avenue East, Scarborough. Deleted in 1954. Reassigned to a highway in Cardiff, Ontario which has now been renumbered.
Ontario Highway 117 – Originally Bathurst Street, Toronto from Steeles Avenue to Highway 7. Deleted in 1970.
Ontario Highway 123 – Original route ran from Highway 3 to St. Thomas. Deleted in 1957.
Ontario Highway 126 – Originally Highway 36 at Bobcaygeon to Highway 35 south of Minden (became part of Highway 121).
Ontario Highway 131 – Was originally assigned to Harbour Expressway from Highway 11 & Highway 17 to downtown Thunder Bay. Deleted in 1981.
Ontario Highway 133 – Originally Highway 28 to Fowlers Corners (became part of Highway 7).
Ontario Highway 134 – Originally Highway 41 to Pembroke (became part of Highway 41).
